Blood in the Streets
by atheistbasementdragon
Summary: Raymond has taken the mantle, 'Serial Killer of Kami Miyako' up where Zesshi Zetsumei left off. In his desperate attempt at saving lives and atoning for his wrongs, the former Black Scripture has his sword, his knife, his iron resolve, and a few allies still left within the city who will help light a candle in the dark. (Branches from Chapter 129 of God Rising).
1. Murder & Mayhem

**AN: So begins a new story. This one to show some perspectives of a nascent resistance and some of the motivations and nature of Theocracy leadership, not intended to be exceedingly long, but when am I EVER right about my story length estimates? :) Reviews are welcome, this story begins around the time of Raymond's meeting with the Sorcerer King.**

**Written by: AtheistBasementDragon**

**Edited by: The Usual Gang of Drunken Perverted Idiots**

_...Kami Miyako…_

Blood dripped off the knife as Raymond Zarg Lauransan drew it out of the heart of his latest victim. The eyes were wide and white with terror, so white that even with the minimal light of the moon that the Cardinal of Earth could see the fear as if it were daylight. A scripture member for many years, he had never really 'enjoyed' killing as some of his peers and predecessors did. In that, he was closer to Zesshi; it was just a job to be done, no real thrill, even if their reasons differed. However this, this he was starting to like.

As he wiped the knife on the man's hair, he looked over at the corpse of his victim's wife, she too had eyes frozen in shock, she'd been the first to die. Her hazel eyes were already turning milky and her body's color fading and beginning to turn pale. His eyes would be like hers very soon. Their matching brown hair was actually of similar length, they were an odd pair, but they did not die for their oddities. Instead, they died for their brutality.

"You couldn't be satisfied with just being rich, could you?" He asked their corpses. They didn't answer, corpses seldom had much to say.

He continued anyway, "You had wealth, social status, authority, but you just couldn't keep your hands to yourselves. If you'd just 'owned' slaves and given orders and the like, you might still be alive right now. But now you're dead, just like the slaves you have put down."

He took a breath and then inquired, "Do you like how it feels?" There was a hint of mockery in his voice.

All he got in return was silence save for the sound of blood dripping onto the polished wooden floor as it trickled down the sheets and fell away from the bed. He didn't expect anything else, he usually didn't talk to the corpses, but… it was starting, little by little, to become routine. This was his fourth 'couple' and he'd enjoyed this kill more than those he'd done in the line of duty.

"At least I got some satisfaction out of it. You can feel glad that you served at least that much of a purpose." He talked as he wiped his hands clean. "I think I've learned something from you two at least, something I've been wondering about since my second 'couple killing'. Do you know what it is?" He asked as he sheathed his blade, he'd hide it soon, but he didn't want to chance any stray drops that might incriminate him. He then took a cloth and dipped it in blood, when he hid the knife later, he would stain it with the blood from the cloth, and the frame job would be complete. He glanced back on the dead, seemingly awaiting the answer from the inanimate couple.

He took their silence as 'curiosity' with an ironic smirk.

"That the reason I enjoyed killing you two, was because you deserved it. I've found, I think, that the reason I'm starting to like this is because the 'reason' I'm doing it is making the act ever more enjoyable. Well, have a nice night. I'll be taking a few of your things and hide them in one of your competitors' homes." Raymond replied, throwing a few glances around the room.

"You understand, I kill you, the state kills someone else. It makes this whole thing easier for me. I'd say this isn't personal, just business, but… who am I kidding? This is very, very personal for me." The cardinal finished with a sharp tone, and after listening carefully, he snatched a few valuables up and went out the window.

He made sure to leave the window shut behind him before he dropped down to the ground. It was trivially easy to go to the family's biggest rival in the agricultural slave trade and plant a few stolen items in the basement. As he walked home, he pondered the likely events.

'In the morning,' he thought, 'the bodies will be discovered by their servants, as their slaves are secured elsewhere, the normal blame will not likely fall on them, some objects will be discovered missing, and an anonymous witness will report seeing 'similar' objects in the home of a rival, a spot of blood will be found on one of them after an investigation, and two more will be hanged before the end of the week. How… lucky we are about all this putting a glut of slaves on the market.' He contemplated all this with a warm glow in his heart as he reached the door of his home. He entered quietly and found nobody there to attend him.

That was as he wanted it. He went quietly to his room, and again found Nua asleep in a chair waiting for him. She'd made this part of her routine now, despite his admonitions that she didn't have to do so. Her long blonde hair was not in the braid it had been at first, that had been the first real choice she'd made for herself, to let it fall free. Perhaps to her it was symbolic of what he was promising her, perhaps it was just an idle preference, or perhaps it was just her test to see if he meant what he said about her having a choice about her life at last.

He sighed heavily and quietly closed the door behind him. He struck a matchstick then touched it to the wick of a candle and approached her with slow and soft steps, exercising care not to startle the poor girl, then crouched down in front of the sylvan-figured girl and gently touched her shoulder. "Nua, Nua wake up." He whispered softly.

Her eyes flew open at his touch, nearly jumping off the chair. "Sir! Sir, can I get you anything?" She asked in a frantic voice, "I'm sorry, I fell asleep, sir!"

Raymond stayed crouched so that he was level with her. She was probably three times his age, yet she seemed so young and small and anxious, to see her still waking up frightened of him practically broke his heart. Zesshi's words came back to haunt him again, "Are you going to resign?" She'd asked him all those months ago, and after he'd denied such an intent, she had added bitterly, "Then you approve." She'd called on him to make a moral choice he didn't make. A choice that she had already made for herself, and he had let her down.

Now he couldn't resign, because his job was his cover. Still, he thought at least now, she might approve of his remaining behind and remaining a cardinal.

"Nua, you don't need to apologize. It's late out and you have your own place to sleep, so you don't need to wait here for me. I've told you a thousand times." He said gently.

Nua met his eyes and found no lie there. She had gazed into his eyes many times. Every time he'd told her he wouldn't hurt her, every time he was nice to her, every time he'd told her she didn't have to genuflect and treat him as a master, she'd looked there again. She'd searched over and over in those eyes for a lie she was sure 'had' to be hiding inside them. Yet, all she ever found was warmth and sympathy, it was impossible to believe a Cardinal of the nation that had sold her over and over again, could ever be this kind. So she searched.

"Sir, even if that is so, I… want to." She said softly, "You've been kind to me. I don't want to take that for granted." She graced him with a smile, it was small, it was nervous, but it was there and it was hers. She often wondered if he knew that still behind her eyes, there was disbelief that he could be other than a monster.

He shook his head, "Well, all I need now is sleep, so you can go to your space and get rest for yourself." He whispered to her. She stood slowly and bowed her head, and gracefully walked out. The way she moved made him think she must have been very fond of dancing before she was captured. She moved with the grace of wind over spring grass, not a single extra gesture to be had, and then she closed the door, leaving him alone.

Raymond nestled himself under the covers after he undressed. The bed was delightfully cold, and he loved the feeling of it warming up under his body, it brought almost as big a smile to his face as watching the bodies of his victims grow cold under his knife.

It had been a long night, but a good one, and he slept like the dead he had created, until a knock came to his door and he saw Nua's head poking in. The sun shone in from the window and caught her wheat gold hair. "Five more minutes." He mumbled groggily, good night or not, it had been a late one.

"Sir, Cardinal Ginedine and Cardinal Berenice are here to see you." She said gently.

"Give them a good breakfast, and me another hour's sleep, I'll see them after I've eaten." He said, with his words broken by a yawn as he rolled over, facing away from the door.

"Yes sir." She said obediently and closed the door quietly behind her.

It felt like a mere minute had passed before Raymond felt the shaking on his body. He knew those delicate fingers immediately. It was Nua again.

"Whasit?" He asked groggily again, "Five more minutes." He said and tried to roll away again.

"Sir, it has been an hour as you said, the Cardinals have eaten and are awaiting your company." Nua said insistently.

"Damn." He mumbled… largely incoherently. "Thank you Nua." He whispered, "Tell them to come up in five minutes, I'll just get changed."

"Shall I assist you, Sir?" She asked with a blush, she'd made the offer so many times that he accepted that she would ask as a matter of course, and again, as every time before, he refused her.

"No, Nua, I'm not a child, I can dress myself." He said with a wry smile on his face, he always answered that way.

She nodded obediently, grateful for not only his refusal, but for 'how' he refused, it let them both pretend that it was the infantilism of it that was being refused, and not the cruel salaciousness of forcing a slave girl to attend her owner's body. It was a shallow pretense, but it was another bit of kindness for which she was grateful, even if she was sure it would vanish eventually.

In her quiet moments alone, at first she wondered if he preferred males, but gradually that thought was dispelled, as she understood that he would simply not 'act' on anyone living within his house who he deemed powerless. This too, mystified her then, and sometimes still did. 'Can he actually be… good?' She'd thought to herself over and over again, and time after time she'd denied it and convinced herself he was tricking her, waiting for her to relax before springing his true nature on her. 'It's a trap.' She repeated in her own mind, every time she thought something positive about him.

But still, she was grateful for the 'game' while it would last, the others, most of them now believed he intended their freedom, most of them believed he truly cared, the children now thought of him as a kind of uncle. When she closed the door behind her again, leaving him to dress as she waited for minutes to pass outside his door before going to get the others, she thought about what she'd seen.

The cardinal sitting in front of a small number of children, teaching them letters and numbers and reading something to them, had been a wholly unexpected sight, and it had 'almost' convinced her then, simply because she hadn't been summoned, she'd gone to him to make him aware of the coming of Cardinal Ginedine. She shook her head. 'Almost tricked me then, but I won't be fooled, not like last time.' She thought to herself.

The minutes passed, and then she went down the stairs and bowed to the pair of guests, "He awaits you in his quarters. If it pleases you, I will lead you to him." She said submissively, keeping her eyes and face turned down toward the floor.

"Not necessary, we know the way." Berenice said in a matronly voice, and proceeded toward the stairs, followed closely by Ginedine.

When they were gone, Nua went to the kitchen to begin the cleanup.

Alone in his room with his fellow cardinals, who had become his co-conspirators, Raymond recounted the events of the previous evening. "So everything went smoothly then." Berenice remarked with a matronly smile that one would expect to see on a grandmother who was placing a freshly baked pie on the table for her grandchildren, it was so easy to forget that 'went well' was not the baking of the pie, but ensuring that people would die.

"It did." Raymond said in a solemn voice.

"Good, I will have someone anonymously report seeing the burial of the murder weapon." Ginedine replied, "I have a contact in the watch who I can make use of, he's got an elf mistress on the side, he'll work with me."

"A slave?" Raymond asked, his voice a mix of doubt and anger.

"No." Ginedine answered, but then added, "Well, technically 'yes', but after some discreet observation, inside the house she does not wear anything indicating her slave status, and he treats her with affection, she uses furniture, has her own space, and he regularly brings her gifts. Some similarly 'discreet' inquiry toward her by another of my servants shows that she's a fairly recent capture and sale, isn't 'jaded' yet and has actually fallen in love with him. Similarly, he seems to have done the same." Ginedine shook his head, "I wonder how many times that has happened over the years with nobody the wiser."

Berenice frowned, "It could still be a trap. Does he visit the brothels, has he had others before her? Perhaps he has a habit of buying them, enjoying them for their novelty, then disposing of them when he grows bored." Her grim face and the very, very dark scenario she painted in a tired and angry voice spoke volumes about what her own investigations had occasionally found in their delicate search for allies.

Ginedine, however, raised her hopes with a shake of his head, "I thought about that, before her he had a wife, but she passed away near the start of the war, she was one of the earliest deaths. I pulled her record and she died by accident at sea before landing in the Southern Holy Kingdom."

He put his glasses on and pulled out a sheaf of documents from a satchel, "This elf woman was acquired as a captive around that time and sold a few weeks later here in Kami Miyako, he was the one to buy her, and after describing him at every brothel within walking radius of his house, nobody employed at any of them, at least out of the brothels that still stand, recognized him. Also, he has no other servants in his home, so his treatment of her in private seems to be… genuine." His voice was almost a wonder as he lowered the documents to his lap with a shake of his head.

Raymond and Berenice were both quiet as they let that settle in, "When you questioned her," Raymond asked, "did you find anything about the way she came to be physically involved with him?"

"I did." Ginedine replied, almost offended in tone of voice, his wrinkled, grayish skin wrinkled even more when he frowned, "Do you think me a fool? I had an elf girl 'talk' with her in the guise of a fellow slave, and apparently he didn't lay a finger on her, he was just lonely and sad, and she developed the affection for him all on her own. From everything I've found, I am convinced he'd die for her if he had to. He'll be sympathetic, believe me."

"It is an enormous risk to bring in another for this work…" Raymond said uncertainly.

"It is, but we 'need' a few allies along the way if we want this to be effective." Berenice added.

"I suppose so." Raymond relented, lowering his gaze and relaxing visibly in his chair with a sigh that was heavy with concern and outright anxiety.

"So what else did you want us to come here for?" Ginedine asked, "I realize your late-night activities keep you tired, but you know how I feel about being kept waiting, and I have my own work to do as well." It was a mild rebuke, born more of his own anxiety than of any real annoyance, so Raymond let it pass. Besides, they would not be disappointed in his reason for sending word for them to come to him.

Raymond stood up without a word and went to the chest at the foot of his bed, he took a small brass key from around his neck, then knelt down and unlocked it. When he heard the little 'snick' of the lock, he stood up and opened the top.

"Look," he gestured to the chest, and the two rose from their seats and looked over at the chest where he stood. Their eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and their mouths fell open like trap doors beneath a hangman's noose. There within the chest was bar after bar after bar of solid gold, glinting in the light of the morning sun.

"Where…?" Berenice asked in hushed disbelief.

"How…?" Ginedine managed to utter in a like tone.

Raymond looked from then and down to the gold, "These arrived yesterday." He swallowed hard, "They came to me from the Sorcerer King… after he… sat with me here in my home, after having heard of my letter seeking his assistance. They are to be used to pay for all of the costs of our enterprises beyond the walls to save as many of the elves as we can."

They answered with silence, it was the only appropriate answer that any of them could think of.


	2. The Pained Pontiff

Blood in the Streets

Chapter 2

Written by: AtheistBasementDragon

Edited by: The Usual Gang of Drunken Perverted Idiots

...Kami Miyako...

Berenice and Ginedine borrowed a few packs that Raymond had saved from his scripture days and threw a few gold bars into them. "We'll get everything paid for covertly today. Might need a few proxies, but that'll be easy enough." Berenice said.

"Fine, I'll go by your home with this share as well, use what you need, I'll keep one bar and have it turned into coins quietly today." Ginedine said thoughtfully, "I'll use it to ensure I have some leverage on any possible 'help' we acquire, and to pay for any witnesses we need along the way."

"Good, I leave it to you both, but a final word of caution." Raymond said, raising a finger pointedly, when they looked at him with quiet expectation he said, "This comes directly from the Sorcerer King, officially, from this point forward, we're all traitors to our country in the eyes of the law, but more importantly, if any of this is 'misused' for personal gain, the reaction of our country will be the least of our concerns. We're all in this together now, there is no backing out, even if our country would forgive us, do not forget, the Sorcerer King sat in my home for hours without me knowing about it, if we try to play both sides and come down on the wrong side of him, Dominic will be the least of our worries."

There were grim nods of understanding as they got up, the bars were heavy, but both had been scripture members before, so even with their age, a few bars of gold could be managed. When they were gone, Raymond went over to his window and with his hands folded behind his back, looking outside. From this position he had a pleasant view of his little garden, but if he looked to his left at an angle, he could see people busily strolling about, living their lives... it was so banal that it was easy to forget that there was a war on. His excellent hearing picked up a distant cry, it was from one of those homes, one of his neighbors, the cry was in a thick elven accent. A new capture and recent sale, he judged. Whoever it was, they were being punished painfully.

"How... how did we come to this?" He muttered to the empty air as the cry of pain rang out again.

His breathing picked up as a result of the stress, and he focused intently on the sound, idly trying to pinpoint the house, he knew all his neighbors. It was sickening, he focused on it so thoroughly he didn't notice when Nua opened the door carrying a tray.

She had the sharp ears of an elf, she too, heard the cry. 'Oh gods... he hears it too, he can't stop listening to it, is he... aroused? Oh gods, he's a monster, the way his body is shaking... oh gods will he end 'the game' today? No... no... please no...' Nua frantically thought to herself as she listened to the elf somewhere out there and watched Raymond's back, the way his fists clenched. She was terrified, she bit her lip to silence even the all but nonexistent sound of her own breathing coming out of her body.

She focused as hard as she could on controlling her body to stop the shaking, to stop her thoughts, she waited until she was absolutely sure the mask of her face was properly neutral, and then took an audible step forward, that got his attention.

"Master, I've brought something for you to eat while you work." She said in the most controlled voice she could.

He looked over his shoulder, "Thank you Nua, but as I've said, you don't have to call me that."

"Yes, sir." She said and briskly carried the tray to his desk. The crying out stopped. Wherever it had been, either the victim had fallen unconscious or given in or been restrained from making noise in some way.

Raymond returned to his desk and sat. Nua dared a brief glance down, there was no evidence of arousal from what he'd been hearing, but she dismissed that, he could have relieved himself before her coming, or it might not have been enough for him. As he got some documents in order, he looked up at her as she prepared the tea.

"Are you alright, Nua?" He asked. She froze suddenly and dropped a little lump of sugar on the tray instead of in the tea. Sugar was expensive and wasn't something to be wasted, so for a moment terror swept over her face as she realized what she'd done.

"I'msorrysirpleaseforgivemyclumsiness!" She sputtered and began to bow up and down over and over again with her eyes tightly shut. Her words were so fast that they were as one and it took Raymond a moment to decipher what she was trying to say.

"Nua." Raymond said softly, "It's alright, it is just one lump of sugar, it isn't even wasted, it's on the tray. See?" He said, and as she watched, he licked his finger tip and swept it over the scattered granules, which easily stuck to his skin, he then casually dipped his finger in the tea and stirred it around. "There, nothing wasted, nothing lost." He said with a wry smile.

As he held up the finger under her eyes where she'd held her bow, she knew immediately what he wanted. "As you will it master." She said and took the finger tip into her mouth and closed her lips around it, donning another servant's mask on her face, that of pleasure that would hide her hatred and loathing.

So it was a complete shock to her when, after a moment in which he was stunned by her sudden action, that his eyes widened and he yanked his finger out. "Nua! What the hell are you doing?!" He exclaimed.

She couldn't keep back the look of fear on her face, "Sir, did I do it wrong? Please teach this ignorant one how to..." Her words were cut off when he grabbed her cheeks with both hands and forced her to look at him.

"Nua, I told you, you 'don't' have to do that anymore. I wasn't looking for you to initiate anything, you didn't 'displease' me, everything is fine." He said emphatically. Her mask of neutrality returned.

"Oh, I'm so sorry sir, I thought you ah, needed that cleaned so... I wasn't trying to offend." She said in a small voice.

"It's alright, I'll just be tending my work for a bit, I have a meeting in awhile, please inform the rest of the household that I will be out until tomorrow morning." He said.

"Yes sir." She said, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

She informed the rest of the household as he'd instructed, then went down into the basement of his home, it was dark down there, she liked it, it felt safe, she went to a little corner under the stairs where it was especially dark, and curled up on the mat she'd been given after he'd bought her. It wasn't perfect, but it was the nicest thing she'd slept on in over a hundred and fifty years. Even the first one to play 'the game' with her hadn't given her something that comfortable.

She wrapped her arms around her knees and closed her eyes, with her master out of the house, she could sleep soundly, confident that he wouldn't be ending his game with her that night at least.

When Nua was gone from sight, Raymond just stared blankly at the document on the desk in front of him. Nua's terrified face haunted him. He looked up and over at the chair where the Sorcerer King had so recently sat, Nua hadn't been the least bit terrified, or hadn't seemed it at least, of the skeletal being that had just been in her presence. She'd been seemingly completely at ease with a being that by all rights, she should have thought of as a monster. Yet she'd looked at him with terror in her eyes. Humans were her monsters, not the undead. What that said about the undead, and what that said about humanity, at least the humans in his country, was something that he'd carry like a millstone around his neck until the end of his life. Of that, he was absolutely certain.

That afternoon Raymond departed, he had a special destination in mind today, he was going to see the Pontifex Maximus, Necran Adama. Necran had once been a member of the Clearwater Scripture, but he'd always been more of a scholar than a leader. Raymond knocked on the man's office door, and was quickly admitted.

As Raymond expected, Necran had his nose in a book at his desk, and not a document to be had. "I'm surprised you don't have a guard outside your door." Raymond said sarcastically as he, uninvited, approached and took a seat opposite the Pontiff.

"There's no need." The Pontiff said with a dismissive tone of voice, not bothering to look up from his book. "I have no power anymore, the vote of the temples invested Dominic with all the powers of my office, I'm a figurehead now and there is nothing I can do about it."

What shocked Raymond the most was how indifferent Necran sounded about the matter.

"So that is it? You're not going to do anything, anything at all?" Raymond asked.

Necran sighed, closed his book, leaned back in his chair, folded his hands into his lap and propped his feet up on his desk. "Like what?" He asked the Cardinal. "Name an option, any option, and I'll at least consider it."

'Kill Dominic, call back the scriptures, sue for peace with the Sorcerer King, liberate the elves, turn the populace against this war.' Raymond thought, all those options ran through his mind like wind through a forest. But he said nothing. They weren't options, they were dreams.

"That's what I thought." Necran Adama said bluntly. "Look, I don't like this any more than you do, but I have no way to curb Dominic's power as things are right now, I 'tried' when he sent out that vote. I sent my instructions to every single temple, not to vote in support of that measure. But..." He shook his head, the white hair bounced behind him and his wrinkled face looked care worn.

"Wait, but I saw the vote tallies, the vote was overwhelmingly in his favor! You mean almost none... none of our temples listened to you?!" Raymond said with disbelief. "That isn't possible!" He exclaimed.

"It 'is' possible, under certain conditions." Necran said emphatically and looked at Raymond for a long, silent minute.

Slowly, Raymond's eyes widened. "You can't be serious... you can't mean it."

"Do you have another explanation?" Necran asked.

"Did you check?" Raymond retorted bluntly.

"I did." Necran replied firmly with an emphatic nod and a grave expression on his leathery, wrinkled face.

"And?" Raymond replied, his face intense, with wide, staring eyes.

"Would I bring it up if I hadn't found results?" Necran asked rhetorically with a sour expression on his face.

"How many years?" Raymond barely managed to whisper out in hushed disbelief.

"The last five or six, if I were to guess, it probably got started around the time of the massacre at the Katze Plains." The Pontiff said thoughtfully as he stroked his chin.

"So all this time, and all he was waiting for was a crisis suitable to justify a vote. Do you think he had any of the head priests killed personally or was he just taking advantage of the situations that developed?" Raymond asked with shock and horror in his voice.

"After the vote, when I saw the results, I had a few of my people, ones whose loyalty I was sure of, go out to a few locations where important temple priests had died over the last few years. Two were drowned, four were killed on the road 'by demihumans' which Dominic's former scripture took care of and gave him the public credit for the operation, two more died of natural causes very suddenly, two killed themselves, one was hanged for murder, four were defrocked in public scandals... this has been years in the making Raymond. Years. I went back as far as the Katze Plains incident, but there are others before then that I couldn't find any information on because the witnesses were dead and the paperwork was lost. And by lost I mean 'lost'." Necran said, making quote marks with his fingers in the air and looking coldly at Cardinal Raymond.

"I just..." Raymond shook his head in disbelief, "I just can't believe it."

"Believe it." The Pontiff insisted.

"Do you think Maximillian and Yvon were in on it with him?" Raymond asked.

The Pontiff looked thoughtful and was quiet for quite some time as he thought, Raymond sat patiently.

Finally the old man shook his head. "No, I don't think so. There were a few deaths in places that would vote how they wanted, but nothing so plentiful, I think they just happen to hold the positions that coincide with how Dominic sees things, and so he's found them to be useful."

"So that explains why you're sitting here reading." Raymond said sadly.

"Yes. That explains why I'm sitting here reading. There is literally nothing else I can do, I don't have a guard outside my door, but the one outside the building is sufficient, if I go see my old scripture, I'm screwed, if I make any variations to my routine that seem suspicious, I'm screwed, I'm easily disposed of at this point and he'll just blame an operative of Black Justice or something else that will rally people to his side. He'll make me a martyr to his cause, I only have as much freedom as I do because he has no idea I've figured out that he set this all up." Necran said glumly. "As it is, I expect he'll do exactly that when he needs either someone to blame for a problem, or needs a martyr to energize his followers. I'm like dried up meat just sitting around waiting to be eaten when I'm needed."

"So won't he find it strange that you've asked to see me, for that matter, why am I permitted such freedom?" Raymond asked cautiously.

"My guess is that it has to do with how you and the others live, I was always in the background, so me being out of the public eye is hardly missed, but the cardinals are always seen about the city, always doing public events. If you all started to disappear from the public eye, someone might notice, plus because you're all the same rank, weakening your power would weaken the power of his other supporters and might turn them against him. In short, you're a tolerated nuisance, if you had temples backing you, that might be different, but as it is, you don't, and your votes are meaningless. But if I end up dead, well one of you will end up next in line to take the blame for some debacle. That much you can count on." The Pontiff said emphatically.

"So what did you call me in for then, if you can't do anything and everything will be suspicious about me coming here?" Raymond asked with a deep frown on his face.

"Two things, the first was to tell you exactly what I did about him setting this up, the second was to tell you to inform against me." The Pontiff said with a hard look on his face, his eyes did not even blink and they shone bright in the light streaming through the window.

"What?" Raymond asked incredulously.

"Inform on me. Tell Dominic that I sought your help in finding outside powers to return my authority to my office." Necran put his feet down and leaned forward halfway over his desk.

"And... why exactly?" Raymond asked with even greater incredulity in his voice now that he was sure he understood what the Pontiff had just said.

"Because Dominic will believe it, and what is more important, he will believe 'you'. This will ratchet up your usefulness for awhile and help keep you safe, he'll tell you to agree to help me, it'll give you the chance to come here more often, I still have contacts outside these, I can't easily get word to them, but you'll be able to. I'll give you fake messages to report to Dominic, you take the real ones to my contacts, use them however you wish, but promise me two things in return." Necran said with sudden ferocity.

"What?" Raymond asked, leaning in to hear him carefully.

"The first, promise that Dominic will die, the second, promise you will save whatever you can of our country from his rash actions." The Pontiff held Raymond's eyes, in them Raymond saw the look of a man who knew he was already dead, like that of criminals he'd seen about to be hanged who had accepted the inevitability of their deaths with peaceful hearts.

"I promise." Raymond said gravely. "This will not be, he will not be the end of all our people."

"Good." The Pontifex Maximus leaned back in his chair again, took up his book, and resumed reading.

Raymond started to get up, "Oh, one more thing, it's nothing really, but I'd appreciate it if you could manage it?" Necran asked in passing.

"Yes?" Raymond asked curiously as he slid his chair back into place.

"Do you see that bottle over there?" He asked, pointing to one that sat on a bookshelf.

"The green one without a label?" Raymond asked.

"Yes, that's the one, take that with you." The Pontifex Maximus said slyly.

Raymond went over and took it up, "I don't drink much, you know, I appreciate the offer but really, I shouldn't take it."

"Oh no, I wouldn't recommend drinking out of that, there's something else I want you to do with it." Necran had a wicked smile on his face.

"...Yes?" Raymond asked hesitantly.

"After Dominic is dead, I'm assuming I'll have been dead for awhile, so I want you to dump that on his grave, since I won't be around to do the deed myself." The Pontifex Maximus's smile was growing larger.

"Ahhh... why do I not want to ask just what is in this bottle?" Raymond asked.

"Probably because you don't want to know I've been pissing in there for the last week, but now you know it, and you can never unknow it. After that sonofabitch is dead, dump that on his grave for me." The Pontifex Maximus cackled with laughter, and Raymond looked with disgust at the bottle, before breaking out into laughter himself.

"OK, but... Give me a glove to wear to take this home." He said as he set the bottle down and wiped his hand on his pants as fast as he could.

**AN: Enjoy? Leave a review or stop by our discord server to tell me what you thought, also you'll find exclusive content in the form of art and stories not featured on FFN.**


	3. Slip-Up

Blood in the Streets

Chapter 3: Slip-Up

Written by: AtheistBasementDragon

Edited by: The Usual Gang of Drunken Perverted Idiots

_...Kami Miyako...Wealthy District..._

Raymond had been more than a little disturbed by his meeting with the Pontifex Maximus, but that did not change his 'other' plans for the evening. The wealthy district was harder to get kills in, but it was not impregnable, and there was one target who definitely deserved to die. A brutal man who disgusted even some humans in the city. Tonight he was the prey of a retired Black Scripture. Raymond did not run along rooftops, on the night of a full moon, that was just 'asking' to be seen, instead he stuck to the streets and alleyways, these were plentiful, and he knew the city well, plus nobody really noticed anyone behaving in an ordinary fashion.

He quickly found his way to the manor that housed his prey, it was a large place, and unlike most, the target actually had a few guards, it was a needless pretension on his part, no noble in Kami Miyako really needed guards. Well, at least it 'had' been a needless pretension on his part, but now Raymond was targeting him.

He rushed along the outer wall, guards were posted at the entrances, however because they were merely there over his own pretentious sense of self importance, they were the only ones he had at the outer grounds of his family home. So Raymond went along the side where there was no gate, and quickly jumped over the wall, landing quietly in the soft grass.

He looked left and right, but also listened with care, and it was this cautious nature that caused him to drop to the ground as he watched people leave the entrance for a shift change at the gate, one wrong look and he was exposed. He waited, laying flat in the shadow of the wall, until the guards on duty left, and the guards off duty came on.

When the way was clear, Raymond rushed over to the side wall. There was a large trellis against it which had roses growing up the side, for a normal human, the many thorns were a barrier. But to Raymond, a Black Scripture with quality equipment to protect his body, it didn't present an obstacle, instead it presented a path to success. He gloved his hands with enchanted fabric that would protect against prickly penetration, and quickly climbed up the side. When he reached the third story, he listened carefully, then leaned slightly to the right so that he could see in. He removed a dagger from his belt and began to pry the window up until he could slide his fingers in, from there, he lifted it up. It was clearly meant to keep the breeze out, not people.

He smiled grimly as he got one leg inside, then pulled the rest of himself in with practiced ease. He quickly found the target on the bed.

Raymond raised the knife, and then the eyes of the sleeping target flew open suddenly. "Guards!" He shouted as loud as he could. Raymond's knife came down, and pierced the heart of his target. But to his chagrin, he could already hear thunderous armored footsteps. The target was still struggling, driven by fear and pain for a few seconds, until another stab to the eye pierced his brain and ended his life.

Raymond looked around hurriedly, the plan had been to frame a guard, but there was no time now. "Shit!" He cursed, and jumped out the window. Luck was with him, the noble's last scream had lured the guards at the gate to rush into the house, and so he was able to run out unobstructed and make his way home without alerting anyone to his actions.

...Kami Miyako...150+ years Ago...

Nua stood on the auction block in the middle of the enormous city. She'd never seen anything like it, the walls were so large, the buildings were packed close together, not at all like the broad open construction of Crescent Lake, she'd seen more different people pass by in the last hour than she'd normally seen in Crescent Lake in twelve.

For that last hour, she'd been standing in line with the other captives, some male, some female, some very old, some very young. She'd been breathing hard for all that time, dressed in nothing but a painted white sack with a bright yellow x on it that marked her as a slave being sold, and a set of heavy chains secured to a rail. The elves in front of her and behind her stood sullen with their eyes downcast, some had a red x on their sack clothing, she knew that these were ones that were being sold for the second time or more and had disciplinary problems. Others were marked with a blue x, these were being sold for again but had clean records from their owners. She was terrified, her head whipped around, taking everything in, her anxiety was noted by large men with whips, one of them approached her and put the handle of his whip under her chin and made her look up at his face.

"You settle down, you show good, you might get a better owner, you look rebellious, you maybe get one who likes excuses to use this." He was bald, crisscross with marks that showed he couldn't afford a healer, and he was extremely dangerous looking. His tone was firm, but he actually sounded somewhat sympathetic.

He kept looking at her, waiting. "Uh... thank you for the advice sir." She said softly, improvising something and stilling her anxious motions as she looked down.

The process was orderly, the crowd was large, up on top of the large wooden stage there were three small waist high pillars fastened to the stage, at the top of each was a ring, each ring was secured to a slave's chains, ensuring that they didn't do anything rash. The more docile seeming ones were not secured, but everyone with a red mark was, without exception. A few of the yellow marked ones were, but not all. A part of her was curious as to how they decided.

Once up there, the speaker, a man of medium build and neatly trimmed beard with pale skin and brown hair would read off a few notes about each slave. He would then stand beside the one he was taking bids on. Some among the crowd held white paddles, she noted that these were all exceedingly well dressed, and so concluded that they had to pay for the privilege of having those things. When a paddle went up, a question would come out about a slave, sometimes it was a request for more information about their trade skills, and the slave would either answer or be lashed. Sometimes it was a request to see more of their body, and the slave would untie the knot at the neck that held their sack together and let it fall away.

Nua's heart pounded in her chest. She saw three females be led weeping off the stage as a woman announced that these latest acquisitions would be available for her brothel at a discount until they'd learned their trade. Nua watched the well-dressed woman smirk and depart as the girls were put into a wagon and carted away. Nua did not know that she would eternally be ashamed that she felt relieved when the woman was gone.

Finally her turn came, she walked up to the center of the stage, she was not secured, the man running the sale stood behind her and read off her information, captured on the road, surrendered without a fight, no noteworthy magic ability, she'd born no children and her virginity had been confirmed. She blushed deeply as such intimate knowledge was made public.

The salacious laughter of the crowd at her reaction brought her eyes up to look at them. They welled with tears and when the bidding came, the man to the left of her sold cheaply and quickly. When the man stood beside her, the dread white paddle in the crowd rose up. "Show the merchandise." The person asked.

"Do it girl, or it'll hurt first and then happen anyway." He whispered roughly.

With trembling fingers she clasped the little string that held the sack together, she untied it, and it fell away, appreciative voices and eyes washed over her, the bidding went on for a solid five minutes, between crude remarks, bawdy jokes, and outright leering, she couldn't keep back her tears before she was declared 'sold' and shuffled off to the side.

She found herself face to face with a man of such beautiful and delicate features that, were it not for his ears, she'd have thought him an elf. She looked at him, expecting to see hate or lust in his eyes, but instead, saw only kindness. He took off his cloak from around his own neck and wrapped it around her to conceal her nakedness.

"Come here, get into my carriage, I will take you somewhere safe." He said sweetly, and soon she found herself stepping up inside an ebony black carriage that shone bright in the light of day, and found herself seated on red velvet seats that were more comfortable than anything she'd ever felt. Her narrow eyes went wide with wonder, prompting a small laugh as he closed the door and rapped the wall, and the carriage began to move.

"My name is Hodge, what's yours?" He asked in as kind a voice as she'd ever heard.

...Kami Miyako...Present Day...

Nua woke up, or it might be more accurately said, she shot up as the dream ended. She counted herself lucky. Most of the time the dream ended with Hodge introducing himself. The sweet look he could muster when he'd wished, so at odds with what she'd later seen. She put her hand to her breast and felt her heart beating within, it was pounding wildly and her eyes were still wide, she looked around from her little place under the stairs. She heard other slaves snoring, some tossed and turned, trapped in nightmares of their own. Others slept soundly, mostly the children, even in Kami Miyako, few were vile enough to harm the very, very young.

She got up from where she was, she would not be sleeping any further, the fact that so many were still sleeping meant it must have still been either very late, or very early. She felt a smidgen of hunger gnawing at her belly, and a little thirst. She crept around, stepping softly to avoid waking anyone, then went gracefully up the stairs.

"Damn them." She said softly. "Damn them all." She clenched her fists hatefully and looked around the beautiful manor. From one master to another, and where did she find herself? In the manor of a cardinal, one of the men who ruled this entire vile country. His house was beautiful and he often 'acted' kind, but she knew better. She could scarcely believe that anyone was buying his act. "Naive fools. Hope from a human may seem sweet, but it will turn to ashes in your mouth." She said again to the silent darkness of the house.

She entered the kitchen area, thinking to draw some water and take one of the pieces of dried meat that the slaves in Cardinal Raymond's house were permitted at need. That much she was reasonably sure she wouldn't be punished for, those humans who enjoyed 'the game' of winning trust or affection before destroying it, never punished those who 'followed the rules'.

So she was quite casual until she touched the continual light stone, illuminating the room and saw Cardinal Raymond himself, dressed in black, a bloody knife sitting on the counter as he was washing his hands clean in the sink.

He looked back over at her in shock, she looked at his blood soaked hands, the stained weapon, her heart pounded. Every muscle in her body told her to run, to flee, but over a century and a half of life in Kami Miyako told her there was nowhere to go. So she froze, she stood stock still, stared, and wondered what poor slave had fallen to her master's knife.

"No... no... not like this..." She muttered in terror as he came over to her with his hands still wet and stained with blood.

She wanted to run, she wanted to hide, she wanted to fight, she wanted to do absolutely anything, but the one thing she did, and that was to stand there unable to move as his bloody hands came closer as he slowly walked over.

"Nua, Nua stop, it isn't what you think." Raymond said in an even, reasonable tone of voice.

She managed to move herself back, away from him, but in her hysterical, panicked state, she wasn't backing toward the door, she'd moved to the wall.

"Please... please don't kill me, I didn't see anything, I promise, I promise I won't say anything to anyone..." She said as tears of fear ran down her flushed face and she shook her head back and forth, her hands shook as she tried to find some purchase to keep her from collapsing.

"Nobody cares if you kill one of us, you don't have to cover it up by killing me... I'll be good, I promise, I don't want to die... I don't... I'll make you feel good, really good, just give me a chance..." She said rapidly, speaking over his gentle words that were ardently trying to get her to listen to him.

She slid her way along the wall, keeping away from him as best she could, his steps were slow, she felt stalked, trapped as he followed her movement.

"Nua, you need to stop and listen to me." He said again.

She was lost in her fear, she couldn't hear or didn't believe his promises that she was safe. So finally he gave in, he had to rely on her training, so choking back the bile, he snapped out hard, "Go over there and draw water, immediately."

Over a century of training took over, obedience equalled safety, and given a task, she had the security of usefulness. So she scurried over to the pump and began to work the lever, Raymond approached and put his hands into the water, he didn't look at her as he gave her instructions, he simply gave them, so she helped to wash his hands, and then to dry them. He then took up the knife, and he cleaned it off as well.

"Go up to my room, now." He said firmly. "Wait for me there, and be silent." He added in an equally firm tone.

Nua nodded silently, and rushed out and up the stairs, unaware his eyes were following her. 'So this is the night the game ends after all...' She thought with a whimper. As soon as she entered the room, she stripped off her clothing and knelt beside his bed to wait for him, her heart pounding with fear and hatred.

Her mind went back to the undead as she looked over at the empty chair. That overwhelming being that had stepped out of a whorling hole in the air and confronted her. The moment she'd seen him, she felt the first swelling of terror, and then he'd spoken. "Be at ease, I am the Sorcerer King, I have come on a mission of mercy, for you and all your people."

Nua could barely gasp out, "What... who... are you...?"

"Some would call me a god, some would call me a king, others call me friend, and still others call me the greatest threat this world has ever known, and there are two, who call me 'father'. Who and what I am depends upon what you deserve to experience at my hands." Ainz held up his skeletal fingers into a fist, using 'terrible undead king pose number seven'. "You however, may simply call me 'The Sorcerer King' as I've said."

"So... I'm not going to die?" She asked softly.

"No. As a dear friend of mine once said, 'Saving the weak is common sense.' He was a sensible man, a better friend I never had, and his words still linger in my mind even though he has been gone for many a long year." Ainz replied as he slowly glanced to the window, staring at the moon.

"I have come to see the one you know as Raymond. He is the ruler of this house, is he not?" He asked patiently, returning his gaze back to the elf.

She nodded, "Are you going to save me from him?" She asked softly.

"Is he cruel to you?" Ainz inquired, and she heard the death sentence in his voice.

Part of her mind urged her to lie, end her owner's life, just a little lie and one of the hated humans would surely perish. But she thought better of it, perhaps he knew better, perhaps he was testing her character. Also, she did not wish to trade away even a little bit of herself for anything. So she spoke the truth, "He... has not been cruel, but he is a human... he's human... it's only a matter of time... it's been over a hundred and fifty years... if I'm with him long enough... it's..." She looked down and clenched her fists at her thighs, and to her surprise, she felt skeletal fingers touch her cheek and wipe away a tear from her eye.

"I understand, youngling." He said, adopting 'ancient undead term number nine' as he did his best to frantically adapt to this situation before she fell apart in front of him.

He looked so... so noble to her, his touch, he was a skeleton, but bore in his bones the warmth of spring in the bitter winter of her existence.

"When I return, I will see that you are safe from harm, that you may believe, I promise on my name. But speak no more for now, I will await him here in his room. Give no hint that we have conversed." He said to her, and she nodded in silent adoring, faithful adulation.

She shook her head, casting off the thoughts, they didn't matter, this was probably the end for her. She hoped at least she'd be avenged by that impossible being.

Raymond sighed heavily and ran his hand over his forehead. "Well I made a terrible mess of that, didn't I?" He said.

He finished cleaning up any spilled drops and cast off the cloth into a disposal bin, and then he ascended the stairs.

When he entered his room and found her there, he immediately closed the door behind himself and sat in the chair that had only days before, held the Sorcerer King. "Nua... Get your clothes on." He sighed heavily.

This gave her pause. "Master?" She asked in disbelief.

"Please." He added politely.

Unsure what to make of what had just happened, she mutely dressed herself and then returned to her kneeling position.

His entire body went limp where he sat. "Nua, I'm sorry for how I spoke to you downstairs. Please forgive me." He said.

She was glad of the shadows, the dim light of the candle dancing hid her disbelieving expression very well.

"I said what I did in order to snap you out of your shock, I thought if I touched you, you'd get the wrong idea, as... well I see you got the wrong idea anyway." He leaned forward, resting his arm upright at elbow and knee, he let his face fall into his open hand and he shook his head.

"Nua, would you like me to send you elsewhere?" He asked thoughtfully.

Fear swept over her face again.

...Kami Miyako...145 years ago...

"Come with me Nua," Aalon said to her, "trust me, everything will be fine, you know we have to put on a pretense in public at least." He said in his boyish voice and with a sad little frown. She'd quietly complied, letting him put the collar back around her neck and not even whimpering when he'd attached a lead. She hated that, but Aalon often said, if he appeared soft, all her current happiness would be taken away, and so she bore it. Right up until she realized where she was, the auction site where she'd been sold to Hodge, she was silent with shock, so much so that she hadn't even realized what was happening in front of her, so distracted was she by the location, until Aalon said her name.

"Her name is Nua, I've owned her for a few years, she's no trouble." Aalon said with a catch in his voice.

"So why are you selling her then?" The man asked.

Nua was too shocked to speak.

"My wife has taken issue with her, you know how it is, so I'm afraid I have to let her go, thirty silver and she's yours right now." Aalon said, "Just do me one small favor in exchange for the discount?" He asked.

Nua's mouth fell open, she want to speak, shout, cry, but the shock of Aalon's betrayal was overwhelming.

"What?" The slaver asked.

"Put her on the block 'after' the brothel sales are done, I'd like it to go to a good home where it won't be brutalized, and that seems the best chance." Aalon said, his voice was thick with regret, but the slaver didn't seem to either notice, or care if he did.

"Fair enough." He said, and he counted out thirty silver pieces.

Nua whimpered, "Aalon... no... no... please no..." She shook her head at him, slowly, her ears drooped and her mouth turned down, her lower lip quivered and her face began to turn red. "Aalon, I love you... please don't... I love you..." Her voice cracked, but Aalon reached out and took the cheap pouch, and handed her leash over to the slaver.

"Aalon..." she whimpered as he took her up the steps to be secured, she looked desperately behind her, still saying his name, she fell to the ground as she tried to reach her hand back, he was far out of reach, the slaver yanked on her leash. "C'mon you, he's gone." He said gruffly and all but dragged her. She wanted to scream, but the leash secured to the collar in such a way that a tug tightened it around her throat, and it cut off her attempt at screaming his name. She saw his back for another moment, then he vanished into the crowd and she stayed sobbing on her knees until she was dragged up front to be stripped and exposed for another sale.

...Kami Miyako...Present Day...

Nua snapped back from the memory as he asked the question again. "Master... no... whatever I've done... I'll be good just... not back to the block again... I can't..." She felt her last nerve start to fray as she begged.

Raymond shook his head vigorously. "No, Nua. You aren't going to the block." He maintained with a firm conviction that told the girl he meant it. She didn't believe him regardless, but she ceased her quaking and listened.

"What I mean is, would you prefer to live with Berenice? I am not stupid, you know, I can see your fear of men. I thought it might abate as time went on, but it hasn't, if you would be more comfortable living with a woman, I can have you moved over to her home, I'm sure she won't mind. If that will make you feel safer until this whole horrible mess ends, or... perhaps I could ask a favor of the Sorcerer King, I don't have much to offer him, but perhaps if I offer to use some of my goods to provide for you, he will let you move to the resettled lands in the east with the other free elves. Those aren't ready for large scale occupation yet but... just 'one' more elf shouldn't cause too great a strain." He said thoughtfully.

'There is the trap.' She thought, it was just too much, that pretense of such kind consideration for her fear, it sent her over the edge to the point where her rage surpassed her fear.

That was what did it. Nua got up from where she was kneeling and walked over to where Raymond sat. He looked up at her in surprise, and saw the naked hatred on her face as she drew her hand back and slapped him hard across the face, an audible sound of the slap echoed off the walls, as if the slap had happened two or three times, instead of but once.

"There! Now you have your excuse! I've struck my owner! I can't take it anymore!" She hissed out, "I can't! I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't! Just end this game! End it already, kill me, beat me, torture me, sell me, do whatever you're going to do to me already and just get it over with!" She shouted down at him and fell sobbing to her knees.

"Enough! Enough! You win! When were you going to do it, huh!? When? How much longer?!" Her fists clenched as she stayed down at Raymond's feet, she looked down at them hatefully. "I just can't! I don't care anymore! Stop this damned game of yours, you monster... monster... monster... please just do whatever it is you want... I hope it kills me this time..." She fell to blubbering out sounds that, frankly, were more nonsensical syllables than they were any kind of attempt at speech.

Raymond was stunned, all he could do was look down at Nua in silence and disbelief. Of all the things he could have imagined her saying or doing, those were nowhere on the list. 'Damn it all.' He thought as he touched his slightly sore cheek where she'd slapped him. 'What the hell do I do now?'

**AN: OK, enjoy. :) Reviews feed me, don't let me go hungry. By the way, this story will be a bit 'slower' in its general pacing than God Rising or Dark Plains, mainly because there will be a lot of world building along with some of the underlying themes. Plus I'll be doing a lot of perspective shots to show what other characters see and think and do. I realize some of you will be impatient for the main story to go on, but remember, when it ends, it ENDS. So new material draws it out, and when IT ends, ALL my Overlord Writing will be over as I move on to a new project. Don't rush things, enjoy the journey.**


	4. Reckoning

Blood in the Streets

Chapter 4: Reckonings

Written by: AtheistBasementDragon

Edited by: The Usual Gang of Drunken Perverted Idiots

**AN: Enjoy another chapter. Looking forward to seeing your thoughts, part of Chapter 5 is finished now too, but I must sleep. Tomorrow I'll be doing some commissioned stuff but may do some more of this and/or God Rising as well. Time and mood will decide what I get to for recreational reasons.**

_...Kami Miyako...Raymond's Private Quarters…_

Raymond had not stopped rubbing his cheek as the echo of the slap rebounded around the silent room. He was glad that he'd had it enchanted for silence, so that the sound of her sudden, raging breakdown would not wake the entirety of the house.

His eyes were wide as saucers, his mouth opened slightly as if to speak, but if she saw, she gave no sign as she started to rant. "It's funny how you monsters are! You're always happy when there's one less of us, but you go out of your way to get more of us to play with! We grow your food, we build your roads, we warm your beds at night, we even nurse your wretched spawn at our breasts while the very infants of our bodies cry for milk that you give to your own!"

She punched the floor, breaking two of her fingers, but she didn't care. "You dare to call yourselves our superiors, chosen by the gods… Chosen by the gods… What evil gods they must be, if that were true…" She bit her tongue for a moment, as if trying to stop herself from making things worse.

A tiny part of her mind railed at her that she should be silent before she made things worse, that she should beg his forgiveness before he starts inventing all new types of tortures to punish a loose tongue. "One of us dies and you couldn't be happier about it, then you go out and grab another because, much as you revile our existence, you can't imagine your lives without us in them! Fucking monsters! I wish you'd all just DIE!" She shrieked as the wrath-borne courage died and her gaze fell away, she could look nowhere else but the floor anymore.

Her voice became a mess, words forced out between miserable sobs. "Your fucking games though… those are the worst…" She mustered out the whisper that only his training and skill as a former Black Scripture let him hear at all. "It's easier when humans just hit me or whatever else, when a master just tells me what to do to avoid pain, or even when they're overtly mean, petty and cruel. At least that would be honest. But you… you're one of the twisted ones!"

She started to raise her gaze, but got no higher than his knee. "You pretend to be nice, talk to me like a person, let me twist in the wind while I wait for the other shoe to drop, till the day I make some mistake, some slip-up that will justify whatever you're waiting to do. Then if I'm lucky I'm dead, if I'm not, who knows, monsters are so… creative." She managed to raise her face the rest of the way and looked at the silent, still face of Raymond.

"Whatever, just do whatever it is you want to me, as long as this game is over, I won't be fooled by your act, monster. You're a Cardinal of this country, there's no way you could be anything else but evil, so just do it, but I won't be fooled, I won't be, and I just don't want to play anymore. I'm tired… so tired…" She held his gaze till the last word fell from bleeding lips and bleeding tongue that she had mindlessly bitten in her heated, desperate moment when she could bear no more.

She waited, and waited, and waited. The game was over, she'd ended it, there was a kind of 'relief' there, a bizarre sort of state wherein all hope was truly gone, and there was nothing left to cling to, leaving her completely free in a way that slaves who still had hope, could never be. She wondered if it would be over slow or quick. Whichever option was chosen, the elf girl could not guess, though she had her own preference in that respect. She sighed, her fingers started to hurt where she'd broken them.

Curiously, he hadn't done anything, she didn't look at him again, she felt the seconds slip by, where was the violence? Where was the retribution? Where was the wrath of the monster? The stillness of her owner became, in a word, awkward. Which was a profoundly strange way to describe it, even for her. She dared to look up, and found him standing there, looking down at her. Raymond was not a large man, even as humans went he was little more than average height and at a glance one would say he was of an average build.

But as he stood there, while she shook and shivered on the floor, he seemed like a mountain, but if he was a mountain, then a river had cut a channel across his face, because her own sadness was mirrored on his in turn, she felt the tears before she saw them. One came down and struck her injured hand.

He could barely utter a word, but she could see he was struggling to get something out.

Even then she could not accept what her eyes were telling her. He took a step away from the chair, over to the open area beside where she had collapsed. He then went down to one knee beside her, he didn't touch her. She was mystified, whatever she expected, this was not it.

Raymond looked at her, stunned, shocked, horrified, and filled with an overwhelming sense of sorrow, when she'd struck him, it had stung only slightly, like an angry child, but the hate in her eyes, on her face, the burning wrath of a person pushed beyond her limits, was not something he was prepared for.

He listened to her every word, but felt himself not as a judge, but the judged themselves, he listened as her every word condemned humanity and he could find no rebuttal. Worse, he felt she was not wholly wrong. He had been a Cardinal for years, and never once in all that time did he give a damn about the state of the elves, or anything else that lived and was not human. Not until the half elf he cared for rubbed her elvish heritage in his face and he could see her own agony for himself. 'I have no right to defend myself from the charge of being a monster.' He thought, it was not an angry thought, it was not loud within his mind. Instead, it was quiet, as gentle as the sound of the first drops of water from a storm, and the flood of that storm ran out his eyes and fell to where the girl lay at his feet.

When he knelt in front of her, he knew better than to reach out, what good could the touch of a human do for her? Every touch of the last hundred and some years that had come from a human had been poison, or so far as he could guess.

There was no rebuke, there was no retort. As she looked at him and her face became uncertain, particularly as he came down to her level, all he could do for a long time was try to form his thoughts into words.

Finally, he managed. "Nua… Nua, I'm sorry, I thought you understood, I don't do that. I won't. I meant what I said, here, you are safe, and you will live to be free." He almost said, "I promise you" but what could a promise from a human mean to her?

"I don't know what I can do to prove what I say is true. I know what my country has done… I have lain awake many nights in this room and asked, 'How did we come to this?' since the day my eyes were opened and I realized what I should have known all along. I won't even deny it when you call me 'monster', but all I can say is I am trying 'not' to be that anymore. I want to pull my people back from what we've become, and end the horrors that have robbed us of our souls." He spoke as sincerely as he could, but it was clear that, confused as she was, she did not believe him.

"Then explain the knife, the blood, which unfortunate slave did you kill, why? What did they do, scuff your boot? Or did you go to one of those hells made of wood and brick that you call brothels and she didn't smile enough at you?" Nua asked coldly, her eyes had become narrow and bored into him with the force of her hatred.

"Perhaps that will prove it to you." He said, and she leaned back from him in surprise.

"What?" She asked, forgetting in her confused state to even add an honorific of any kind.

Raymond stood up and went to his closet, he took a large green cloak with a thick hood, and threw it over to where she lay. He looked out the window, it was still dark, but it was also raining and cold, he reasoned that it was doubtful she would draw a second glance.

"Put that on, and come with me, I will answer your question, you will not believe my words, but perhaps you will believe your eyes." He said hopefully.

She obeyed uncertainly. She cast doubtful looks at him in between hateful glances, but of all the things she expected in response to her sudden tirade, this was not among them. Surprise was the order of the night it seemed, and so she was at least confident that 'this' was not some form of trick.

"I will not put you on a collar or a leash, nor will I put you in chains, it is dark out, if you keep the hood up and your hair back out of sight, you will pass for human." Raymond said as he grabbed a second cloak for himself and quickly threw it on himself.

"Come with me." He said, and walked towards the door, his commanding voice triggered her century and a half of conditioning, and she followed, being half way down the stairs before she realized what she'd done. She hesitated for half a step, but then made the conscious choice to continue, whatever it was, he was in a hurry, she'd never seen Raymond 'frantic' before. Angry? Yes. Fearful? Yes. Frustrated? Absolutely. Frantic? Never.

So down she went and followed out the front door, she hadn't been outside without chains or collar or leash in over fifty years, she'd hated it every single time, yet as soon as her foot fell to ground without them, she froze and started to shake.

Raymond was twenty feet in front of her before he realized she'd stopped. He looked back at her and waited. She didn't move. He went back to where she stood, "If you're with me, nobody will say anything." He said softly.

Her eyes darted left and right as if wanting to find some place to hide. "I… I can't…"

Raymond was at a loss, he was unsure of what he could say or do, but sure he had to say or do 'something'. Inspiration struck him a moment later as he thought about the way in which she'd moved about the house. "Nua," he began, "before you came here, to this city, did you like music?"

She nodded emphatically. "I did."

"Do you remember any songs?" He asked thoughtfully.

Her gaze lowered again. "I remember when I remembered songs. My feet moving, I remember that there 'were' notes in the air that I loved, but it was so long ago, I don't remember what they were anymore."

Raymond paused and thought for a moment. "Then let me teach you one I heard some time ago. I'm not much of a singer, one of my comrades," he paused and snorted back a laugh and his eyes lit up in the dim light of the stones that revealed the door, "she compared my singing voice to that of a castrated bullfrog."

Nua giggled a little at the bizarre image, in spite of everything else.

"Walk with me, and just focus on the music, don't think about where we're going, I know my promises hold no value to you, but at least understand that, at this hour, there is nowhere I could take you for anything harmful." He added, and she nodded slightly, his reasoning seemed good in her eyes.

"Fine, teach it to me." She said softly.

Raymond slowly sang a few bars of a song he'd enjoyed in his youth, a little tune about a man who leaves his home only to find his way back again, and to find himself happier for it, not only for having come back, but for having left it in the first place. When he was done, Nua, figuring that if this was all a trick after all, she was already dead after her recent words and actions, chose to say, "I agree with your comrade's assessment."

Raymond rolled his eyes. "I am unsurprised. She was… is… a half elf. I sort of think your tastes would be similar." He said wryly. "She liked the song, but not 'me singing it'. No accounting for taste, I guess." He said and shrugged.

The 'half elf comrade' remark caught her by surprise, but he began to look at the sky, she sensed he was concerned over the time, and so she started to quietly sing, it was the first time she'd done that in over a hundred years, it felt surprisingly good, and she took a hesitant step forward. Then another, then another, then another, until she was within a few feet of the human who'd bought her.

He nodded approvingly and then started to walk, she kept pace with him as he led her down a winding, indirect path until they reached the wealthy district. "We're sticking to the alleys, I don't want to be seen." He instructed her, it was a sentiment she had in common with him at the present. Since 'that much' was at least evidently true, she abided by his wishes there without complaint. And though being in the wealthy district of the nobles was raising her anxiety level considerably, she was driven by a need to know what it was he wanted her to see.

When she finally saw him stop and gestured her forward, he put a finger to his lips and said, "Shhhh, you asked about the blood and the knife, now look there." His voice was soft and hoarse, and she followed his finger as it moved from his lips to point across the street to a large manor where an abundance of activity was taking place, there were shouts of orders and many guards. After she'd looked at the chaotic scene, he stepped back and gestured for her to follow him back into the alley. When he felt sure they would neither be seen nor heard, he spoke to her again.

"That was where I was. I killed the master of that house. Not a slave, not a stranger, not a prostitute, I killed the nobleman who lived there. I know you remember bits and pieces of my conversation with my comrades, it was between they and I that we settled on this course. I am killing the worst monsters among us, one by one and two by two. Unfortunately, this killing went wrong and I was almost caught or forced into a fight. So after ending his life, I was forced to flee quickly, before I could clean up or carry out the rest of my intended plan. That is why you found me with blood on my hands, that is why I had a bloody knife. Do you believe me now?"

She was trembling and quiet again. "What was the family name?" She asked quietly.

"Hodge." Raymond said casually, "Why do you ask?"

A genuine smile formed on her face, one so large and broad that he almost glanced around for fear it might illuminate the alley in which they hid.

_...Kami Miyako...150 years earlier...Hodge Residence..._

Nua stepped out of the carriage and looked in awe at the magnificent manor. "Are you the king of this country?" She asked of the delicate featured man.

He laughed, "No, not at all, just one of the nobles, not an insignificant one, but definitely not a king."

She froze, "I mean…. Master!" She added, suddenly recalling what she should address her buyer as.

Hodge laughed, "It's OK, first time nerves, you're safe here, you will have to work, as everyone does, but I promise you, I'm not a cruel man, I don't treat people poorly." He smiled at her, his eyes seemed so very, very kind.

"Come with me." He said, and she followed behind him with relief in her steps.

A servant opened the door, a servant that she noticed was quite well dressed, despite being an elf woman. Nua looked her over, the uniform was clean and bore no hint of salacious use, it covered far more of her than it did not. She did not acknowledge Nua as she passed, but the new resident put that down to his status versus her own.

She gaped in even greater awe at the massive, beautiful interior, the wood had been polished to a shine, the furniture was inlaid with gold thread, a great chandelier befitting a king hung in the main hall into which she'd walked, and another servant approached, a male elf in a butler's uniform. "Master, welcome home, what may I do for you?" He asked in a firm timbre that spoke of constant repetition.

Nua barely noticed the interaction as her eyes swept over the paradise of the nobility.

"This is Nua." Hodge said, "See that she's given proper clothing and shown about the house, she will be my new personal attendant."

"As the lord wishes." He said, and stepped back from Hodge with a bow.

"I'll be out riding in the yard, send her to me after dinner." He said dismissively. "Nua, go with Yarvin." He added to Nua in a sweet voice.

"Y-Yes master, at once, sir." She said, and as the male elf began to walk, she fell into step beside him.

"I-I guess I'm lucky I ended up here, he seems so nice." Nua said hopefully, they were halfway down the empty hall when she'd said that, and Yarvin halted dead in his tracks, he looked up and down the length of the hall.

He looked Nua over, she seemed so small, innocent, delicate… he stepped close to her, and whispered, "If you get the chance… run, run away and don't ever stop. Tell no one I said that to you."

He said, then stepped back, and turned from her stunned expression, and resumed his walk down the long hallway. She had no idea at the time what good that advice had been.

_...Kami Miyako...Present Day...Raymond's Private Quarters…_

"I won't ask that you trust me." Raymond said when the door closed behind them, "I won't ask you to like me, I won't even ask that you give a damn if I live or die, we've done too much to you for any of us to have that right. But will you at least believe me when I say I'm not running 'the game' on you?"

Nua bit her lip again, then slowly shook her head. "You're a human. I believe you when you say you were killing that man. It was clear that something happened there and you knew both how to get there and get back without being seen. I won't believe you did it for any of us. Even if you're not just gulling me to savor the shock of betrayal on my face… you're a human. You won't be able to help yourself. It is what monsters do." She said confidently, fairly daring him to deny it.

Raymond sighed, "You know, I don't blame you for that, I guess it was a bit much to hope for, but my offer stands. If you would be more comfortable living with a woman, I will ask Berenice to hide you."

Nua thought it over. "I would, but now, after killing a Hodge, I at least owe you something, even if you didn't do it for me. After I'm satisfied I've repaid that debt, I will accept your offer." Her voice had a measure of confidence in it that it hadn't had before. Raymond wanted to know more, how did she know Hodge? It seemed unlikely that she'd served him before. But somehow he felt that asking her would not end well.

So he nodded in answer. "Very well. Now I need to get some sleep at least, I have an appointment tomorrow that I need to be well rested for."

"What time do you need to be awakened sir?" She asked.

"You don't have to…" He began.

"Sir?" She asked, a little more firmly.

He sighed, "Two fingers after sunrise."

"It will be done." She replied, and left the room, leaving him alone.

Again as he laid himself down to sleep, he asked himself, 'How did we come to this?'

Sleep claimed him quickly, it had been an exhausting day, and meeting with Dominic in the morning was going to make that day, even longer.

-end chapter-


	5. Heart of Darkness

Blood in the Streets

Chapter 5:

Written by: AtheistBasementDragon

Edited by: The Usual Gang of Drunken Perverted Idiots

**AN: Well a lot to do ahead of me, enjoy this release and look for some more soon. :) I'd love to hear your thoughts, so either leave a review or come by my discord using the link on the author page and come tell me yourself. Incidentally, I'm really surprised by how popular Nua has become, damn she hasn't even been 'featured' but for four chapters... well, five now, but still. Her end is still a little up in the air for me, I've written three endings for her, one of them bad, one of them worse, one of them good, and the whole story works with each. Truth be told, I am leaning towards one of them, but I'm not 'attached' to it yet. So I'll make you a deal. If someone 'draws' (or paints) some Blood in the Streets fan art that includes Nua... I will 'strongly consider' a favorable outcome for her. Not that I'll actually tell anyone what that is or if that happens, you will still have to wait for the end. ;) And no, it wouldn't need to be 'museum quality' :) Have a little fun with it if you like.**

_...Kami Miyako…_

Raymond had been awakened by Nua precisely on time, after which she promptly disappeared, at first he thought she was avoiding him, only to find that when he'd entered the kitchen there was a small meal and a cup of tea waiting for him.

"Thank you, Nua." He said as she withdrew quickly enough that he wasn't sure if she heard him or not. Again he thought she might be avoiding him, only to find that she was at the top of the stairs ordering one of the other elf occupants to see to his room, and directing two other younger ones on how to conduct a proper cleaning. He stood at the base of the steps, watching this curious scene as she acted as the voice of order.

He wasn't quite sure how he should feel about that, but when she saw him at the base of the steps, she descended to where he stood and went straight past him to the door, she opened it gracefully and bowed. "May your appointment go well today, sir. I hope that whoever you speak with finds value in your words."

Raymond sighed, scratching his head. "I'm meeting with Dominic, so I don't have much hope of that."

She snapped up as if she'd been given an uppercut to the jaw. Her face went hard and the neutral expression she had worn before last night returned.

"May it be productive." She said in a clipped voice, and when he walked out, the door closed firmly behind him.

"Probably not the best thing I could have said to her." He thought out loud, he heard the voices of children vaguely within his house, he couldn't tell what they were saying, but at a guess they were getting ready for lessons.

Raymond took a carriage to Dominic's home, and as the carriage took him through the streets he looked out the windows. He saw a lot more people than he used to. Which was not to say the city had grown dramatically. Rather, he was now seeing the elves who lived there as people also. "What was it like for you when that happened, Zesshi?" He said to the empty space around him. As a battle maniac on one hand, and a mixed race being hated by the half she fought to protect, he imagined it couldn't have been a comfortable hour.

It wasn't for him either. The funny thing he'd found about changing his mind from where he'd stood before, was how he now looked back on himself before and saw a monster. Just like Nua had said.

As the clip-clop of the horses pulling his carriage continued, so too did his own tumultuous thoughts. He watched the people pass him by on the street, there were few out and about yet. That would change soon. Most of those who were out were the public slaves, the ones tasked with keeping the city clean. There was a veritable army of them scattered about the city picking up trash, horse dung, and other refuse. They were dressed in bright green sacks and shoeless despite the cold, the mass of them were 'older' elves. Ones who had already lived absurdly long lives, but had been captured during the war and were useful only for menial tasks.

It all kept his mind so busy that he barely noticed the passage of time until his carriage brought him to the residence of the 'Guardian of Humanity' as the Cardinal of Wind now styled himself. When his carriage pulled up, Raymond got out and walked briskly to the door.

He rapped on the front entrance, a solid white door with the emblem of the Theocracy painted on the center. The door opened a moment later and a well-dressed elf butler stood in front of him. "I'm here to see Dominic, I have an appointment, is he ready for me?" Raymond asked.

The servant bowed politely and stepped back, allowing Raymond entry. "Please wait here, my lord. I will check."

Raymond stepped within and the servant closed the door, the house was not unlike Raymond's, in fact, in its layout, it was 'exactly' the same. Each of the Cardinal's homes had been built by the same group and for the same purposes, while interior decoration might differ slightly, there was no getting lost in one another's homes.

Dominic's decor tended towards the darker shades. However, the paintings on the wall were bright and beautiful, mostly nature themes, though a few did feature people, but that word only applied to 'humans'. There was not a single representation of any other intelligent race.

'Fitting… for him.' Raymond thought with a regrettable lack of surprise as he waited for the manservant to return.

When he did, he said in a stuffy voice, "He is ready for you, please follow me."

Raymond's first impulse was to dismiss the instruction, but he wasn't sure how Dominic would respond to being so casually approached, so he followed. A minute or two later the servant knocked on the door, "Cardinal Raymond for you, my Lord."

"Thank you, you may go. Raymond, come in, sit down, and let's talk." Dominic said in an enthusiastic voice that, quite frankly made Raymond think he was talking to someone else.

Raymond walked in, closing the door quietly behind him. The room was neatly organized, a habit the two men had in common. On the desk of his counterpart, Raymond saw a cup of tea and a stack of documents in an 'outbox'. The 'inbox' of things to be reviewed had a much smaller stack. Raymond felt a begrudging amount of respect for Dominic's work ethic, his vigor was clearly not limited to fits of temper. However what really threw him off was the shockingly comradely tone Dominic had used.

He carefully hid his disbelief at such an overtly friendly manner, but took advantage of it to seat himself across from Dominic at the desk.

"What brings you to me this morning?" Dominic asked as he set aside his official stamp, "You said it was urgent, but I have had no new 'urgent' reports come across my desk."

"There wouldn't be." Raymond said, "Not for this. I went to see the Pontifex Maximus." Raymond made his voice grave as he spoke.

"Oh, and what did Necran have to say?" Dominic leaned back in his chair, utterly at ease, keeping back the fact that he already knew that much.

"He's trying to arrange a betrayal, he wants to bring you down." Raymond answered.

Dominic stared at Raymond in silence.

"Why did he tell you this?" He asked with a hint of suspicion in his voice.

"Because he wanted me to help him. I will be blunt, true you and I do not get along, but we both want what is best for this country, and whatever other differences we might have… the Pontiff is not fit for his position. He should have spent his life in a library, he has absolutely no idea how to run a country or win a war." Raymond put on a haggard expression.

"For better or worse, we should be coming together now, not tearing each other apart. If he gets his way, we'll be nothing but puppets to whoever he gets help from." Raymond spoke with passion and leaned forward over Dominic's desk.

Dominic's expression was blank, but Raymond had known him for many years and saw the array of calculations going on behind his eyes, and the rising temper that was part and parcel with his personality. "What else do you know?" Dominic's voice said he knew there was more, and he fixed Raymond with the stare of an angry interrogator.

Raymond however, was not one to be intimidated and he put an equally hard expression on his own face. He didn't blink as he stared right back into the eyes of his fellow Cardinal. "Don't give me that look Dominic, I came to you with this on my own. My 'sympathies' as you call them do have some moral underpinnings, however I'm just being pragmatic. You know what happened in the far north, what General Enri did. I don't want us to have to fight house to house in our own damn city while we have an enemy at the gates!" Raymond lied smoothly to the man he once regarded as a comrade, an unpleasant one, but still a comrade nonetheless.

Dominic's expression calmed a bit, the hardness in his eyes eased, and his body became less stiff as he relaxed. "That I can understand. But those subhumans are a problem, even if I wanted to, we couldn't let them go because we'd have nothing but a whole new set of enemies. We've got the wolf by the ears. We can neither safely hold it, nor let it go. If we did what you've proposed, then the freed elves will turn on us, bad enough we had to fight our way toward Crescent Lake, do as you suggest, and we'll fight in Kami Miyako!" Dominic's voice turned passionate, bordering on angry.

"Your justice would destroy us, so we have to hold on to the wolf, tight enough and firm enough that we keep it too weak to threaten us, even as we put it to use. The elves pave our roads, work our farms, mine our ores, our entire economy is tied up in their labor. We couldn't field the human armies we do, if we didn't have them. And this is what the gods decreed for them, as subhumans, they must serve their betters or die!"

Raymond tasted bile as he listened to Dominic argue his position. The blind amoral rationalism of the soul-stealing practice, being capped off with the will of the gods as the ultimate justification made his stomach roll.

But he gave no sign of his thoughts on the matter, "I get it, Dominic, but that doesn't change the fact that this has created its own problems, and the Pontifex could exploit it, I know the 'farm and labor' bids have come to you, we need to start making selections if we want to get the work going quickly, and maybe that'll take the operatives of Black Justice and the Sorcerer King out of the city." Raymond made the most logical argument he could, allowing the argument over elf slavery to slip by unchallenged.

"Grr..." Dominic grumbled under his breath, then anger swept his face, "Has anyone told you about Hodge yet?"

"No, what about him?" Raymond asked.

"The operative visited him last night, killed him in his own bed, he was the last of his line." Dominic said with a mix of emotions going across his face.

"Why don't you sound angrier about that?" Raymond asked cautiously.

"Because he was a large landowner, and since he had no heir, his land passes back to us, which means 'we'..." he paused to stare at Raymond for a minute to convey that his 'we' meant 'himself', "...can redistribute the lands after the estate is sold to settle his debts. Plus I didn't like the man, he had disgusting habits, no self discipline, far too indulgent." Dominic explained, causing Raymond to have to fight the urge to raise a dubious eyebrow as, from his perspective, Dominic was almost describing himself.

"I didn't know him well, I only met him a few times, but I didn't care for the impression I got." Raymond said with distaste, "But still, he was one of us, do we know anything about his killer?"

"Nothing really, a guard saw someone fleeing, but all he caught was a flash of black heading into the shadows, that suggests it was a Black Justice operative wearing what they usually do in combat." Dominic clenched his fist tight, "He might have done me a favor this time, but we'll still get them in the end."

Raymond nodded dutifully. "Yes, we will." He said, while he privately grew far more concerned, but then wondered if he should in fact be 'relieved' that some form of accidental evidence pointed to a Black Justice operative rather than himself.

"Since you're already here, I might as well tell you that the meeting today is cancelled, I'm going to see Thousand Miles Astrologer." Dominic added, and Raymond looked at him in shock.

"But she hasn't even left her home in… well how long?" Raymond asked, "Since the Massacre of the Katze Plains, right?"

Dominic nodded somberly. "I've been sending requests to her home for her to come out and help us again, ever since our intelligence units were wiped out, but she's always refused. However with the operative or operatives now within the city, I can't wait for her to recover anymore. So I'm going to pay her a visit myself, and I'll drag her back to work if I have to."

The corners of Raymond's mouth turned down in a frown, "Is that wise? If she's in a delicate mental state, all you'll do is break her down more."

"Wise or not, it has to be done. The needs of our country will not wait on her comfort." Dominic groused.

"Have you at least spoken with her household servants? What have they said?" Raymond asked in a concerned and hesitant voice.

Dominic cracked his knuckles anxiously, "They say she isn't well, she doesn't eat much, she barely sleeps, she's fragile. More or less the same thing they were saying years ago. She hasn't improved, and some say she's actually worse since the wave hit."

"And you think she'll be useful in that state?" Raymond asked incredulously.

"If I keep her away from scrying the battlefields, it should be fine. I'll just have her look in the city for indications of the killer. Frankly, in retrospect, I wonder if the operative was responsible for any of the other killings that were pinned on neighbors, rivals, and so on. The killing of high profile people started around the time of that report on an infiltrator, but no real success was had in finding anyone 'spying'. So maybe this was their mission instead." Dominic proposed his theory with the indifferent casualness of someone who wasn't sure of it.

"Perhaps the operative is working with Necran." Raymond proposed with seeming thoughtfulness in his voice.

"I can't rule that out." Dominic replied with frustration. "For now, go along with him, see if you can't learn more, just keep me informed."

"I will." Raymond replied in turn and the two stood up in tandem. "I realize you feel the need to seek Thousand Miles Astrologer out, but please be as careful as you can with her. She is still a comrade, remember that, but know that I wish you luck." He lied smoothly to his rival, it came easier than he expected, even given the circumstances

"Hopefully I won't need it." Dominic replied in a deadpan voice and began to walk out, he escorted Raymond to the door and turned to his butler as he reached the base of the stairs. "Yarvin, have the carriage brought around, I'll be heading out immediately."

The elf servant obeyed, and as Raymond got into his own, and ordered the coachman to take him to Berenice's residence, he was filled with an ominous feeling about the days to come. He looked out the window and watched as Dominic did the same. As he moved beyond the manor lane and out into the street, he caught sight of a few women having breakfast in public with their children. They were well dressed women, if not wealthy, with their hair carefully done, perhaps the wives of successful tradesmen, the ones who made many goods and provided many services throughout the city.

Their faces were young, pretty, and relatively carefree, the children seemed free of anxiety and fear, and within his breast Raymond felt a swell of pity for them all. They had no idea what was coming down on them. He shut the slat that closed off the view to the public street.

"Betraying the nation, to save the people." He said quietly and looked skyward. The black top of his carriage blocked his view of the heavens, but if his gods... were gods, he was sure they would hear his prayer. "Saviors of humanity, our protectors and our guides, your people have lost the way, and barrel towards destruction at the hands of enemies we have made for ourselves. Grant me wisdom in these dark times, let me be your instrument, before all your work is undone."

He ended his quiet prayer, despite being a Cardinal, he seldom prayed. But in that hour, he saw no other help for him but the divine.

Raymond leaned back on the bench, even with the bare walls around him, he was sitting in more luxury than many would ever see, yet he did not enjoy it. His thoughts turned back to the elves hidden away in his house. About now the two youngest would be practicing their letters, some of the males would be assisting with the labor on the grounds, the rest of the women not tending the youngest would be fulfilling the role of maids. The left side of his mouth turned up a little in a kind of wry, 'half smile'. The lids of his eyes felt heavy, not with weariness born from lack of sleep, but from the emotional drain of recent events.

He thought about Nua, she'd become more 'direct' and in response to their interaction after learning of his murder the previous night, showed a previously undisplayed familiarity with administering a household. How little he knew of her hit home as he contemplated that. It would probably always be a mystery.

Still, he turned it over in his head anyway, the way she clutched her ears when she slept, he didn't think even she knew she did that. He'd seen her asleep sometimes, it never looked restful, hidden under the stairs like a dog hiding from an abusive owner. He heard bits and pieces of words sometimes. Her shapely sylvan form was like a tree of nightmares, with many branches springing from a beautiful form. How much cruelty had watered that tree? Over how many lifetimes? How many lies had come from sweet lips? He knew at least 'twice' men had played 'the game' with her. Probably more, given how convinced she was that he was doing the same. He leaned his head against the wall of his carriage and closed his eyes.

"I'm in my forties, a lot of people are dead by my age, how… how can I even begin to right the wrongs for a single one like Nua, who endured several times the span of my life in chains? Even if I live to a hundred, it's a grain of sand cast against a mountain." He said to the silence around him, and that thought left him depressed all the way to Berenice's home.

_...Home of the Thousand Miles Astrologer…_

When Dominic arrived at the home of the most powerful scryer of the Black Scripture, he was on edge. Being 'friendly' with Raymond had not been easy. Yarvin had been right though, it had been wise to hold back his wrath, even if it had been for only a short time. Had he let loose his tongue he might not have learned of Necran's planned betrayal.

Now he would have to hope for the best once more, that was all there was to it. The carriage stopped and he stepped out and approached the door. Behind him, climbing off the back of the carriage were two members of the Agante, military agents 'nominally' loyal to the assembly of the Cardinals, but in reality through years of careful selective promotion, had seen their upper ranks filled with people tied to Dominic himself.

He looked over his shoulder, they wore brown cloaks with the hoods down in the light of day, and carried two weapons, a mid length sword and a long dagger each. Since the incident with the Dark Elves in the north their numbers had been returning south and steadily arriving in Kami Miyako while a handful formed a doomed rear guard to harm any attempt at moving south by the dark elf Khanate.

Now he'd brought two with him just in case the servants here chose to be a problem.

He turned his attention back to the door and knocked firmly. A human woman opened the door. When she recognized him, her eyes went wide and she stepped back and bowed. Before she could even greet him, Dominic had begun to address her and step through the door. "I'm here to see Meidhall. Take me to her at once." He said brusquely.

The servant woman blinked with surprise, then looked a little concerned as the two large men stepped in behind Dominic. "I beg your pardon my lord, but the Lady Meidhall is in no state to see anyone."

Dominic remembered Yarvin's advice, "A gentle breeze may blow open a door slammed shut by a gale force wind."

He took a deep breath and forced sincerity into his voice. "I know… I know… but times are dire, if she knew what had happened, she would have insisted on coming to us. Please, for the sake of the Slane Theocracy, for her sake." He said in a falsely gentle voice.

The servant hesitated, Dominic gave her a long steady stare, his voice had carried a hint of desperation. His hands were held behind him, they clenched and unclenched relentlessly, the tension of his anger built with the motion and it passed that tension to his entire body. In her eyes, between the sound of his voice and the expression on his face, his tense body did not represent anger, but anxiety. But behind his eyes, he was thinking of just what orders he'd give to the Agante if she refused him again…

He watched as she let her gaze fall away from his, "I can see you are in need, please, follow me. I should have expected her dear comrades would not come to her as she is now unless there were great need. Forgive me for holding you up."

"It's fine, just please hurry." He answered and followed after her as she ascended the stairs.

She did pick up the pace, she was a little overweight, as well as older, so she did not move as quickly as he wanted, but any increase was better than none.

When she reached the top of the stairs she walked around the bannister and followed the rail to a room at the end of the second story, she knocked on the door a few times. "Excuse me, Lady Meidhall, Cardinal Dominic is here to see you, he says it's urgent."

Dominic listened carefully, there was a sound of crying from within. "We've kind of assumed that means yes…" She said uncomfortably, "She does that a lot, and has been since… well she never said what happened, it's just that every time we see her, she's either unconscious in a nightmare, awake and crying, or red eyed from having run out of tears." The servant woman's voice was sad and dejected.

"You do well to tend her still." Dominic said comfortingly, "It's a fortunate person who has a loyal servant, let alone a house full of them." He touched the woman's shoulder and nodded to affirm the meaning of his words. "Now go, my men downstairs are no doubt thirsty, prepare them some tea, I need to speak privately with the lady of the house."

She bowed her head with a saddened expression, but the eyes gave away that she was pleased by his praise, and she moved away from the door and headed for the stairs. He sighed heavily, the woman had to be near sixty, a very old age, clearly she'd been well taken care of in the house of Meidhall.

As she disappeared from view Dominic reached down for the door handle, he closed his eyes in thought, for a moment he envisioned the way the world would be when the Slane Theocracy finally won through, the aged like the loyal servant finally living safe in a thousand thousand thousand villages and homes from the southern tip of the Holy Kingdom to the farthest north of the Empire. Humans traveling freely, safe from the threats of monsters, demihumans, and whatever nightmares lived in the hidden places of the world. "What greatness could we achieve, if we did not have to live in fear?" He wondered.

He shook the thought aside and opened the door.

The smell hit him first. Meidhall, the Thousand Miles Astrologer was, when last he saw her, a stunning young woman with long double braided blue hair who was proud of her strong legs and piercing ice blue eyes and toned, fit body. For all her vanity however, it had been a facade that hid a deep discomfort with people, she was more comfortable being looked at, than spoken to or speaking with others.

Sometimes he wondered if she cultivated everything about her skills just to give herself an excuse to stay inside and away from the outside world. Every time he had considered that in the past, Dominic had dismissed it as absurd, who would develop one of the most powerful far seeing abilities in the world… just to avoid leaving their house?!

Now? Here? Looking across the disordered room, he could believe it. It was obvious that she had not bathed in some time, her long blue hair, once a glorious crown upon her head, now lay a bedraggled mess. She looked at him from a bed she obviously seldom left, her ice blue eyes, once piercing and sharp as Clementine's knives, were now hollow and glazed over.

She didn't look at him for long, once she'd seen him, she turned her eyes away and looked back out the window, the only source of light for the dingy room.

"What are you looking at?" He asked calmly, taking a step forward and stopping.

"Anything, nothing. It is safe to look here, no horror, no horror… just… no horror." She said in a broken voice.

He took another step. "I need your help."

"I can't help. I can't help anyone. I can't help anything. Nobody can." She said, still not meeting his gaze.

He stepped closer.

"Our intelligence agents are all gone, we have no idea what is going on out there, we're weeks behind on everything… you know about the war, you haven't lost sight of everything beyond your walls, have you?" Dominic asked hopefully.

She gave a quick, frightened nod. "I know. I didn't know about our agents, but I'm not surprised. You all made a mistake."

"A mistake?" He asked unhappily as he took another step closer.

"Yes, I tried to tell you what I saw. Did you not believe me?" She asked as she turned her gaze back to him, her eyes wide with what seemed to be hurt. "I didn't lie, he really did what I said, he really had what I saw. I wasn't making anything up, I swear it."

"I know, we found it hard to accept, myself included, but we believed you." Dominic replied.

"Then why?!" She all but shrieked at him through a throat that had already been torn apart by sobs.

"Why would you go to war with him?!" She asked.

"There was no choice, the Empire's temples called for a Synod, if we don't control most of the temples, if we don't force the will of the gods on the faithless, then they might very well add the undead monster you saw, to the pantheon of the gods. Is that better?" He asked, gritting his teeth to bite back his anger. His next step put him at her bedside.

"Is it? Isn't it? I don't know, the dead can't praise the gods, and how many will die for this even if we were to win?" She asked sharply, then fell into a fit of crying through which Dominic could only stand and wait uncomfortably until she was done.

"As many as are needed. We have to save humanity from this folly, or everything we hold dear may be utterly destroyed. I've done what I can, but I can't act blind, I need your eyes, I know how much it aches you, but I promise I am not asking you to scry the battlefields of the monster you saw, I just need to know certain things, I need your help, the Theocracy needs your help." He said and touched her hand gently.

"You are among the greatest of us," he said softly, "I need you to embrace that greatness again, or else what hope is there for anything? Please." He asked.

"I have… sometimes looked, and seen things, I can still… if I… If I know I won't have to see that nightmare again! You don't know! You can't know! I saw such pain, so many faces, so many looks of horror… I am… or I didn't think, that I was a coward, but seeing so much on so many…" She fell to another fit of crying, and Dominic held his hand over top of hers and touched her shoulder with his free hand.

"I am trying to keep that back from all the world, but I can't do it without you. Please, will you help me again?" He asked, playing up his gentle old man appearance as best he could and giving her a grandfatherly smile.

The young woman smiled sadly in return, a glistening in her eyes threatening to pour out again, she wiped her eyes furtively for a few moments. "What do you want to know?" She asked, "I can still look but… my mind, it isn't so good like it used to be, I can't do it all day anymore."

"What can you do?" He asked hopefully.

"A few minutes, if I have a good idea of where to look, there's a chance I could find a person who truly stands out above all others in an area." She said, her crooked smile cast down, "I'm sorry, I just don't have much left, to even do that much, my heart pounds and I lose my focus soon, I don't know when or even if I'll ever be myself again. But if this can help a little, I'll offer it to you if you say it is that important."

Her voice was scratchy and weak, and Dominic reached around her back to pull her into an embrace. It was a moment he would let nobody else ever see, nor even imagine he was capable of. "I'm so sorry… if I'd known looking that day would do that to you… but don't worry, he won't get away with it."

Meidhall whimpered softly and shed bitter tears into his chest. "You didn't do it, it was my job to look." She rested her palm on his chest and pushed him back a bit and sat herself up again.

"Who do you want Thousand Miles Astrologer to find?" She asked with a forced, and obviously fake, confident boldness in her voice.

He thought for a moment, "Let us start with something easy. Find Zesshi Zetsumei."

Meidhall's eyes went white and she went still as death for a moment, she began to look around, but was obviously not looking around her room. She saw trees race beneath her and shrink as her gaze raced up toward the sky, she searched for the signs of power down below. Back at her body she could feel her heart begin to race, she moved her mental eye faster, higher, until she could look down and found great power in multiple locations. The one in the west, she shrank away from, she moved her vision east, and saw the signatures of the few comrades among the scriptures still near the capital. She moved further east. Her heart was beating faster.

She saw it like a tiny drop of red on new fallen snow, she drew closer, narrowing the location by twenty miles every second, until at last she found herself looking on the face of Zesshi Zetsumei. Her comrade, she drew her gaze back as if she were standing in front of her. The half elf wore her hair back, that was different, but it was definitely her. She also wore a white armor emblazoned with a symbol unfamiliar to her. Moreover, she was far away, much, much farther away from Kami Miyako than she should be. And even more strangely, she saw an array of soldiers behind her, humans, elves, and other races.

The pounding in her heart grew too much, she felt her body in her room start to shake, and then she lost the sight and she was back in her room again. Dominic was shaking her gently. "Meidhall, Meidhall are you alright, are you with me?" He asked fervently.

She nodded as she blinked, "Y-Yes, I'm back, I found her. But…"

"But what?" Dominic asked with concern.

"She wasn't in Kami Miyako…" Meidhall began to describe what she saw and where Zesshi was, Dominic felt himself start to sweat.

"No…" He said with horror.

"What is it? I have heard only fragments, locked away here as I have been. Why is Zesshi in the Elf Kingdom? What is that symbol on her armor… what is that armor at all? Why is she leading that army and what is it even? Are they allies of ours?" She asked, then seeing Dominic's horrified face.

"No, they're not, she's turned against us… hasn't she." Meidhall whispered.

"What do you expect out of an elf?" Dominic asked in a voice full of hate.

Meidhall fell to crying again and buried her face in her hands, Dominic embraced her again and rubbed her back. "Thank you, Meidhall, I am grateful, but can I ask one more thing?" He said with a weak smile.

"Anything." She said in a voice as weak as his smile.

"Clean yourself up, and let your servants tend your room, I know it was… terrible, truly terrible. But you can't make it better by living like this, please, for me?" He asked.

She let her head fall forward. "I will."

"Good, I have to go report this, Zesshi Zetsumei has to be stopped." He hugged her again, and then withdrew from her room, closing it gently behind him before he made to rush out of the house.


	6. Acrimony

Blood in the Streets

Chapter 6: Acrimony

Written by: AtheistBasementDragon

Edited by: The Usual Gang of Drunken Perverted Idiots

**AN: Just to speak up on another newly started story, 'A Heart for a King' isn't 'canonical' to the GR Universe, it's like those other stories I wrote, 'Opera in a Silent City' and 'Lamentations and Longings' they're more like an 'alternate timeline' wherein events proceed somewhat differently. Now IF that story somehow turns out amazing and fan demand is that it be canon... yeah sure I'll fix what I need to and make it so, like with 'Desires of a Demon'. As it is, I'll have fun with it, and do my damnedest to bring it to life in the best way possible. And by the way, to the person under the anonymous moniker 'wtf is this' who told me to quit writing Overlord stories... just a suggestion: IF you're going to try to troll that way, don't make it obvious that you've read every single thing I've written, and will continue to do so. You can't order seconds, thirds, and desert at a restaurant, THEN complain that the food was bad, it just isn't believable. Seriously, after roughly 1.25 million words, if you're still reading... saying you hate it just absurd. :D **

**Lot of writing to do today, but be aware that the events of BitS here will quickly catch up to God Rising, and I'll have to put it on hold while I write more for that one. Pretty soon it will be time for another Memory and a Message, and Bone Daddy's Daughters update, just have to bring events up to speed to avoid spoilers.**

**OH and one more thing, the cover art for this story is Nua, you can't see it because it was cut off by FFN, but the creator put: 'Save Nua 2019' in the bottom right. :D **

_...Kami Miyako...Berenice's Home…_

Raymond was less than pleased by his meeting with Dominic, however there was no easy way he could see of talking him out of it, and it would have been far too suspicious for him to insist on going along or to try to stop him. He had at least felt confident that it was unlikely that Thousand Miles Astrologer would see Dominic, or if he bullied his way through, that he would gain anything from her.

Still, it hadn't been all bad. Dominic seemed to believe that they were not actually 'enemies' at the moment and that he had Raymond's cooperation. That in and of itself was a win. He took a deep breath and knocked on Berenice's door. An elf in fine clothing answered.

No words needed to be exchanged, they'd been meeting for quite some time, the elf butler simply stepped aside and admitted him. "Shall I take you to her, sir?" He asked.

"No, thank you, I know the way." Raymond replied. He always answered that way, but the elf always asked regardless. Routine was comfortable, Raymond supposed.

He found Berenice and Ginedine waiting for him as he expected. "Sorry I'm late," he said as he took a seat next to the elderly Ginedine, "My time with Dominic ran over." He elaborated and then explained what he'd said and what he'd learned.

"That could be a problem for our serial killer, between 'almost' getting caught and the possibility of inescapable surveillance. If he 'is' able to draw out Meidhall then our best bet is to keep her focused on military matters." Ginedine said as he scratched his leg thoughtfully.

"Agreed, but if we do that, well… look I hate to think about being on the losing side at all, but if we lose this war the right way, fewer people will die. If we lose it the wrong way, a lot of people will die, and just as badly. We might end up turning the Sorcerer King against us, personally." Berenice added.

Raymond wrung his hands with uncharacteristic anxiety. "I'll have to inform him, I'm sure he'll have a solution." He spoke in a weary monotone that spoke of how hard he had been working, and garnered sympathetic looks from his co-conspirators.

"One other thing though, before we get down to other business. Berenice, can you take on one more rescue as you are right now?" Raymond asked.

"I suppose so." Berenice asked after thinking for a moment. "Why do you ask?"

"It's Nua…" Raymond said, shaking his head and looking down at the floor, gingerly touching his cheek that was hit last night. After he explained everything that had happened with her, he managed to lift his face, "Every day I ask, 'How did we come to this?'" He lamented. "I've lived here all my life, the Theocracy is my home, its people are my people. How did I not see what now seems so damned obvious? When did 'we' become the monsters to be cursed? If I could go back and speak to my twenty year old self, would I be disgusted by what I saw? Would the twenty year old me listen to who I am now? How did we lose our souls so thoroughly?"

There were no good answers forthcoming from his comrades. "If this is who the gods wanted us to be, then our gods must have been evil, and if this is not who they wanted us to be, then we are not the ones who were chosen by the gods." He said in a painful voice as he thought about how he found Nua kneeling naked by his bed after she'd begged for her life, right before she'd finally snapped. "She's such a sweet girl, what did we do… to put that much hatred into her, and how could anyone who could do that be called human?" He wasn't looking at his comrades.

Nor were they able to look at one another.

"I'm an old man." Ginedine said quietly.

"We noticed." Berenice quipped dryly.

"Very funny." Ginedine responded. "But with great age comes a long memory, and what we are as a nation precedes my lifetime. However even looking back to my earliest youth, I don't remember seeing the twisted things I have in the last generation. We've gotten worse, things have gotten worse, maybe they've been getting worse every generation, but like water heating up around us in a bath, we don't notice it until we're burned."

"Well it is burning now, and that fire will consume us all unless we are successful." Berenice said grimly, "To save the nation by losing a war… whoever heard of something so absurd?" She asked with rhetorical incredulity.

"This will be like climbing a mountain by destroying it down to its roots." Raymond added in an exhausted voice.

He clenched his fists in frustration. "Nonetheless, here we are." Raymond said uncomfortably. "Nua said she'd stay with me to repay a debt, she has some kind of history with the Hodges, enough that she was overjoyed at the death of their final heir. It probably wasn't Imal Hodge, more likely an ancestor, only she knows who, but I'm not going to ask. It must have been bad." His voice went grim. "I'll remember that night till I die." He looked over to Berenice, "I'll let you know when she's ready to come over to your home."

"Fine." Berenice said sympathetically. "Ginedine, how are we looking on the project?"

"All the paperwork is in and a messenger arrived yesterday with approval stamps all over it for some bids. Dominic has appointed me the task of overseeing the establishment of these places beyond the walls. If only he knew." The old man grinned, "I think he's hoping I'll work myself to death and stay out of his way."

Raymond laughed, "You'll bury us all, old man."

"Sure, I keep telling myself that, but the truth is there are only three I want to bury." Ginedine said with a dark smile.

"Speaking of those other two, any hints about Maximillian or Yvon? Is there 'any' chance of bringing either of them around?" Berenice asked.

Her colleagues took on thoughtful expressions. Raymond's face became cautious and he spoke with great trepidation. "With Maximillian, maybe. With Yvon? Probably not. Yvon is every bit as sinister as he looks, you all know this. Maximillian is pragmatic, even as a priest, he was also a judge. If we frame our positions as legal arguments and expose him to the horrific side of our city, our country, he might come around."

"He's also a patriot, if he sees in trying to make the Slane Theocracy great by imposing our gods and destroying our enemies, then all we have accomplished is that we have destroyed the love for the gods in others and raised up enemies against us that we cannot defeat, he may turn for those reasons." Ginedine pointed out with a caution equal to Raymond's own.

"So, how do we convince him?" Raymond asked. "Or rather, who approaches him?"

"I have an idea." Berenice said. "I don't like it, but it might work."

"I don't like the sound of that." Raymond said.

"Leave it to me." Berenice said grimly, "If some things are going to happen anyway, no matter what we do, maybe we can at least get an ally out of it."

Raymond and Ginedine swallowed hard and the blood drained from their faces.

"Just don't ask." Berenice said in a hard voice. "If it doesn't work, or it backfires, then there was never any real hope of drawing him away from Dominic's influence in the first place."

The next two hours were spent going over the fine points of the business administration and how long it would take to get the rescues out to the field areas beyond the city, out of the reach and abuse of citizens of the city. It brought the first truly 'good' news Raymond had that day to learn how far along they were.

"Do you have your target for tonight?" Ginedine asked.

"I don't, I want to find out if Thousand Miles Astrologer is going to be active, I can't risk being caught so easily." Raymond said with concern in his voice.

"Fair enough, but we can't stay idle on that, perhaps we need some outside help." Berenice suggested hopefully.

"You mean 'actually' sneak in an operative to do this for us? Or…" Raymond began to ask.

"Ask the Sorcerer King." Ginedine proposed.

"I will… send a request. I can make no guarantee he will do more than he has." Raymond replied hesitantly.

"What of your contact in the watch?" Raymond asked, artfully pushing the previous subject aside.

"I'll be testing him today." Berenice's voice was heavy as she spoke, bearing the weight of great concern.

"How?" Ginedine asked.

"Tonight a 'badly abused' elf, a volunteer among my household, will scratch desperately at the window where I know he sits to read each night. I know he keeps a healing potion or two in his house for emergencies. With this 'poor victim' he will have three choices. Help her and hide her. Abuse her further, or turn her in. What he chooses to do, will tell us who he is."

"When you say 'badly abused' and 'poor victim' just what do you intend to do?" Ginedine asked with a sick feeling in his stomach.

Berenice looked unhappy, but she chose to explain in the calmest voice she could, "I have a volunteer willing to take the risk, we're going to cut her up, badly. Nothing lethal, but she'll look a mess, she was already covered in whip marks on the back when she got to me, so she's confident she can bear some cut marks for a good cause. We'll do it as painlessly as possible, then tonight smuggle her over to his residence. If he turns her in, she'll end up back in my house. If he helps her and hides her, then we can approach him through her."

"And if he abuses her?" Raymond asked sharply.

"You have a better idea?!" Berenice rebuked him and her eyes pierced his. "She knows the risks and is offering herself for the cause of saving more of her own. If she doesn't come back… then she doesn't. You think we can do this without risks or casualties, give me some ideas, but from where I'm sitting, some sacrifices are inevitable!" Her voice was hard, but the way she opened and closed her hands on the desk in front of her said there were other emotions at play.

"You're right, of course, forgive me." Raymond relented.

"It's fine, just remember I don't like that plan any more than you do. I don't like anything about any of this, but who would? Who would ask to be born into this kind of situation, into these kinds of trials? Not me, not anyone." Her voice was weary and strained, and she felt every one of her years.

"Maybe not, but we have to fix it, whether we made it or not, we're the ones present, so it falls to us." Raymond said and stood up. They stood in turn and shook one another's hands.

"I'll see you at the meeting tomorrow." Raymond said.

"I look forward to it." Berenice and Ginedine said politely, and Raymond made his exit.

Raymond's trip back to his home seemed quicker than it probably was. He had much on his mind and he knew it.

He looked out the window and watched the street sweep by beneath his carriage. It felt like a river of stone. He looked out and saw the faces of happiness and misery, the humans in their comfort and plenty, and the elves in their want and fear. It seemed that the stone river was going to turn and flip all things on their heads. How long till the elves were crying out with joy and the humans of his city were crying out in fear and pain?

He was glad the journey home seemed swift, it let him pretend he was acting in time to prevent what he increasingly thought could not be prevented at all. He needed those precious moments to raise his flagging spirits. He went to the door and opened it. He found Nua seated on the step staring at the space where he now stood.

"Welcome back, sir." She said in a hard voice, she did not try to hide her thoughts behind a neutral mask anymore. She let him see how much she hated him, and she let him hear it in the way she 'welcomed' him.

He nodded numbly, one of his few human servants came and took his coat and quietly hung it up, he did not speak as he did so, and neither did Raymond. The Cardinal's shoulders were slumped, he did not walk up the stairs, so much as he trudged past Nua without a word, holding the rail as he went up. He wondered if she'd been waiting for him to come back and just seated herself there all morning, or if she'd roughly guessed how long it would be and planted herself there recently. As he went up the stairs, she looked up at his back.

"Sir, would you like tea or anything to eat?" Her question was innocent, her tone was venomous.

"Yes, thank you Nua, I should probably eat something." He said without complaint.

As he went up, he heard her down below giving instructions to a half a dozen other servants, she seemed to have taken de facto control over the administration of his house, even the human servants who still worked there were listening to her and did not question her instructions.

'I suppose that is a long way from hiding under the stairs.' He thought to himself with some small sense of hope for her future.

He entered his room and sat down at his desk, a new stack of documents sat unopened within his inbox. He cut the seal of the first one, opened it up, and began to read.

His eyes went over the page a dozen times without comprehending a word, and he might have done it a dozen times more, had the door not opened and Nua entered with a tray. "I have your food, monster… master." She said, correcting herself in a tone that said she was right the first time.

"Thank you, Nua." He said in a low and joyless voice. She set the tray down on his desk. As she did so, he sat back in his chair and watched what she did. With the grace of a dancer her fingers and hands moved from the small teapot to the cup, she deftly added milk and sugar and stirred without even touching the rim of the little cup, then set the spoon aside without making so much as a 'tink' sound when it touched the tray. She then removed the cover from a very small plate of food, not a single movement wasted as she took a piece of bread and buttered it and set it on the tray next to the little bowl on the plate. She did the same with two more pieces, stacking each so that they overlapped like dragon scales, and then stirred the stew with a spoon to disperse the excess heat.

When she was done, she stepped back out of the way and stood silent.

"Thank you, Nua." He replied again as kindly as he could, and tried to read again, he did not touch his food nor his tea.

After several minutes looking on, Nua spoke up. "I didn't poison it." Her food might not have been poisonous, but her tone was.

"I know." He said without looking at her.

"So, why don't you eat?" She asked, looking at him with contempt in her eyes, "Even monsters like you have to eat. If you think an elf touching your food is disgusting, like some humans view eating something a dog licked, I'll go tell the human cook to prepare some more bread for you, since that is all I touched."

"Does it matter?" Raymond asked as he tried to read. "I could tell you that I don't see your touch as something to hold in contempt, I could tell you that the bread is not tainted, and I could tell you I don't believe you're trying to poison me, but would you believe me?" He asked, moving the document away from his gaze for a moment so he could look at her.

She thought for a moment, "Maybe I'd believe you. If you took a bite at least." She responded forcefully.

"Fine." He said, and in a sweeping gesture he took up a piece of bread and dipped it in the stew, then he brought it up and took a large bite. He chewed slowly and visibly, then swallowed. "Do I look like a man who thinks he's ingested poison?"

"No." She said. "I've seen enough monsters like you die over the last hundred and fifty years to know when you people think you're going to die."

He didn't dispute her repeated use of the term 'monster' to describe him or humans, he didn't have the will to do it. So he ignored the jab and went back to reading. He signed the document, sealed it, and set it in the outbox, then took up another from the inbox.

The food and the tea sat unattended.

"Sir, take another bite, I know you ate next to nothing before leaving. Monsters need nourishment too." She said firmly.

He set the document aside, folded his hands on the desk in front of him and looked at her with a serious expression. "Wouldn't you be happier if I starved to death?"

"Yes, if you could die that would be fine, along with the rest of humanity, but wait until 'after' I have repaid my debt to you for killing the last of the Hodges." She said plainly. "Until I'm satisfied I've done that much, I will tend to you."

"He must have been especially bad." Raymond said gently.

"He introduced me to 'the game' you monsters like to play so much. He was also my… first." She looked at Raymond with eyes full of bitterness.

"First… owner?" Raymond asked, and immediately regretted the question.

"First owner… first as a woman willing… first as a woman 'not' willing. The happy night brought a cruel dawn. That night I lay with a man I was grateful too, whom I had come to respect, revere, and felt a growing affection for. I guess that was how he chose to end the game, because the next morning I awoke to a nightmare. Do you want the details, is that what makes you happy?" She said, biting her lip hard enough that it bled, the pain keeping her from falling to bitter tears in front of him.

"No, forgive me Nua, for asking such a foolish, stupid, insensitive question." Raymond said hastily. "I don't want to bring up bitter thoughts."

"A little late for that." She said viciously.

"I'm sorry." He replied again.

"I did talk to Berenice today, she said she can spare a room for you when you're ready." He said considerately, "If you want to go over there today…" He proposed.

She shook her head, "I'll tolerate your continued existence near me until my debt is repaid. I've lived with my hatred for a long time, I can live with it a little longer. Besides, my hatred for human women is only slightly less than that I have for human men."

"I won't even try to talk you out of it, or deny what you call me. It was true for so long that I don't know if I can ever make it untrue. Even if I try for the rest of my life." He said dejectedly.

"Is that the point of skipping meals, so you can die sooner and get out of fixing anything? Figures, monsters would rather die than be held to account for themselves." Nua accused.

"That isn't…" He began to say, only for her to interrupt him.

She pointed at the tray. "Eat, monster, and prove that you want to stay alive and do something right instead of dying without having to do any work."

Raymond sighed, and without further argument, began to eat as Nua walked briskly out of his office.


	7. Object Lesson

**AN: Well I've got lots of writing to do, and of course that means you'll have lots of reading to do. I won't be taking new commissions for a few days while I wrap up the last one, so if there is one you want done, well it'll have to wait until the start of October. In the meantime, leave reviews. :) **

_...Kami Miyako..._

Raymond had seen better days, but his aging body and tiring mind did not equate to foolishness. So after the best night's rest he could manage, the only full one he'd had since he began killing, he got out of bed resolved to face his 'judge' once again. Nua was the first person he saw, she usually was. He rather missed her neutral mask, the naked hate there was harder to bear, but he couldn't bring himself to ask her to change her expression.

Still, she performed her tasks to perfection, seeing to his clothing and his bath and bringing him a tray of food. It was, all in all, a 'normal' morning as far as it went for them. Then something came to mind for him that broke routine, he was just polishing off a biscuit when he asked her, "Do you know if the children have run through their educational supplies yet?"

"Sir, I don't know for sure, but I will find out." She said and headed for the door.

"No, it's fine, I'll go check for myself." He replied. "I've been so busy I haven't really had time to see how the little ones are faring."

"Sir, I'll do it, you needn't trouble yourself." She said emphatically.

He looked at her curiously, he noticed she'd positioned herself in front of the door, as if she were going to impede him if he got up.

"Nua." He asked with a frank expression on his face, "What is going on?"

She looked grimly back at him, "I won't let you. Whatever your plan is for them, I'll kill you first, I won't care what happens to me."

He sighed heavily and folded his hands in front of one another on the desk and looked at her as he searched for words, his eyes and hers were locked as if in contest. "Nua, I am not going to do anything to them. Or to you. I'll tell you what, why don't you come with me today, out into the city, go check their supplies, find out what they need, and come with me to ensure that I'm not 'up' to anything vile?"

"Today." She added bluntly.

"What?" He asked, cocking his head in confusion.

"Not going to do anything vile 'today'. There is still tomorrow." She replied fatalistically.

"Fine, go check, I'll finish eating, and while I do that, you can prepare to depart with a list of things we'll need for the house." He said with an exhausted voice.

"Yes sir." She said, and walked out of the room.

Raymond was alone, well, he 'felt' alone. But nonetheless, he was all but certain he wasn't. So he spoke to the air. "Servant of the Sorcerer King, I will not ask for an audience with your Lord, however I would request his aid. My operation may be put at risk by the possible return of Thousand Mile Astrologer. She might discover what we do, and though I can tolerate dying for my actions, I cannot tolerate failure. Please ask that he arrange for an agent who can act securely against the threat of defeat or detection."

There was no answer, he didn't expect one, the answer would come through action or inaction.

A few minutes later Nua returned with a list.

"Do you want me in 'this' or not, sir?" She asked, tossing a collar at his desk. She looked at him with loathing. It was a nasty looking piece of iron with a loop on the front and the back to attach to a lead so that the wearer could be made to follow or walk ahead.

She was already wearing the usual cloth covering of a slave, a simple sack with holes in it, and wearing no shoes on her feet.

He sighed, some used the collars, some didn't, those with practical reasons tended not to, as the circle was made so that it tightened at the neck and made breathing, eating, and drinking into uncomfortable actions.

"No, no need, you are sufficiently disguised." He said blandly as sickening sensations washed over him.

"Yes. 'Disguised.'" she said, and snorted in contempt. "Fine, then shall we go, sir?" Nua asked, and Raymond answered by standing up.

As he walked towards her, she instinctively backed away, "Shall I walk behind you, or ahead of you, sir?" She asked in a clipped, cold tone.

"I leave that to your discretion, Nua." He said, and let out a tired sigh.

As they moved down the stairs, she chose to go ahead of him, and shooed the children waiting at the bottom for him, into another room. "I know, I know, but the master of the house has things he must do, don't get in his way." She said to them, and before he was halfway down the stairs, they were out of sight.

Raymond rolled his eyes, it was still very early out. She opened the door for him, allowing him the first exit, she then left and shut the door behind them. She moved quickly to the front of him and began walking towards the carriage.

"We're walking today." He said in a quiet voice.

"Oh, want to make me carry everything, I see." She said resignedly.

"No. What we acquire will be delivered. One of the perks of being one of the rulers of your private hell." He said with a voice that was equal parts sardonic and sad.

"I see." She said in a neutral voice. "Sir, do you often walk the streets?"

"No." Raymond replied, "This is a recent habit developed since Zesshi Zetsumei's... departure."

Nua was looking around, this early in the day, with the sun still peaking over the horizon and still showing the false dawn, they were all but completely alone on the streets of the capital. "Can I... ask you something, sir?" She put to him in a tentative voice.

"I suppose." He said with hesitation.

"What was she like?" Nua inquired.

"Zesshi? Why would you ask that?" He retorted curiously.

Nua shrugged, "You said she opened your eyes, obviously I don't believe that, but the way you speak of her, she meant something to you, so I'm just curious. A slave needs to know her master's mind, it's how we survive. The first few times, I failed at doing so, and I was... punished, sorely for those failures."

Not wanting to inquire further and not wanting to linger on that subject, he chose to answer, "She is a mighty warrior, perhaps she was the most powerful figure in the world, up until the rise of the Sorcerous Kingdom. Her mother was raped by the elf king, and she was the result. That is what began everything." Raymond's voice went a bit amused, "She's a battle maniac, loves to fight, but only wants to fight the strong. That's all she ever really craved other than killing her father. Truth be told, though she is older than I by many years, I often saw her as a kind of daughter."

Nua whirled on him from her position in front, she looked at him with disbelief. "You can't be serious?!" She asked in surprise.

He gave a little half smile in return, "I am. I didn't see the 'elf' in her, I counted her as part of humanity, and she counted herself the same way, hated the elf side of herself. Then she turned on us." The sound of his voice did not hint at any kind of anger at the betrayal of Zesshi, and Nua grew more curious.

"Why?" She asked, unsure of what to believe out of Raymond's story.

"That is quite a story, and quite frankly it makes humans look largely foolish, at least the ones here." He replied.

"Then I definitely want to hear it." She said emphatically.

Raymond then began to relay the story of Climb's kidnapping and imprisonment in the highest tower in Kami Miyako's prison, of Zesshi guarding him, of the two bonding, of the girl Aorli and the revelation to Zesshi that she had a family out there that humans were abusing, and the final recognition that the Theocracy would have done the same to her if she hadn't been useful as a weapon, and loved by her powerful mother.

"Wow, you all really are scum, aren't you?" She asked frankly as they walked the empty street. "Still I find it hard to believe any human could be the way 'Climb' was."

"I agree with you." Raymond replied frankly.

"About Climb, sir?" She asked.

"About both things. But we as a nation at least, were not always as we are now." He added.

They walked in silence until they came to the first open stall, Nua knew her role in this aspect, she approached the human vendor with a list, her feet felt chilly on the stone, the slave 'garment' if it could be called that, did little for her dignity. But she bore it, an 'official' activity under watch was easier than a night excursion in the city of nightmares.

She relayed the list of food stuffs and selected various ones from baskets put on display, and she was given a receipt in turn for payment on delivery to Raymond's residence.

When they moved on, the act repeated itself, Nua would approach a vendor and conduct business as her master waited in idleness, when they came to a nearby cafe set amidst a string of shops, he left her to conduct business while he himself sat at a public table to enjoy tea and a honey cake.

To Nua's eyes, this was nothing less than expected, and she applied herself diligently to the task, hatred for humans or not, the last Hodge was dead. And monster or not, Raymond had done it, and for that she was grateful. So shop to shop she went, acquiring household materials from cleaning goods to supplies for learning such as books, paper, ink, and so on, and gathering the receipts so they would know how much to draw from the counting house to cover it all.

When she was done, she went to the cafe and found her master's table, she then went to both knees beside him, lowered her head, and held out the documents. Her face again wore the neutral mask of a broken person.

Raymond felt a wave of self-loathing wash over him as he took to his part in what 'he' saw as an act, knowing full well that to her, it was not.

With his discomfort growing and the number of people on the street rising, his distaste for his capital city became like bile.

"I think we've done enough for now." He said perfunctorily, "Let's head back." He said, and walked away, leaving a handful of coins on the table as he stored the receipts in his coat pocket.

They were halfway back when Raymond saw what he'd hoped not to see, what he'd left early expressly to avoid, 'public discipline'. An elf slave, a young man who... probably was three times Raymond's age, was being dragged out of a shop by his hair. The young man flailed helplessly as he was dragged behind a human from an uncomfortable bent forward position, and then flung forcefully face first against a wall.

Raymond stopped walking as people gathered to watch, Nua, having no other choice in the matter, stopped as well, but glared hatefully at Raymond as if he were personally responsible for what was happening to the young man.

"Please! I didn't mean to! It was an accident! I didn't see her! I wasn't trying to hit her, I swear it!" The young man cried out in desperation as the keeper of the shop, a sort of smallish woman wearing crude glasses and a seemingly permanent scowl, unrolled a whip from her side.

"Don't even move!" She shrieked at him, "You fall, you'll get twice as many!" The slave was shaking like a leaf.

Nua however, was not watching the interplay between the apparent owner and the slave, she was watching Raymond, and more importantly, she was watching the way Raymond tensed. It was precisely because she was watching him, that she saw his hand come from out of his coat as the woman tried her whip a few times.

She wasn't quite sure what he was doing at first, but then she heard him whisper, "[Control Flow]" and she watched the hand that he had held slightly out and palm facing down, turn on it's edge, and then clench to form a fist. She wondered for a moment why his body was so tense and still, until the whip the woman was using went wild, came back, and struck Raymond hard across his face, from the upper right of his forehead, lashing down his eye, over his nose, and past the lower left of his jaw after ripping open his lips. He fell to his knees and clutched his face in a terrible scream of pain.

The crowd gasped in abject horror as the blood of one of their fellow humans stained the stone, and the woman looked behind her in a mix of horror and confusion. She dropped the whip and looked around her, wanting to say something, but having no idea just what the hell she could have said that wouldn't make the situation much, much worse.

Nua brought her hands up and cupped them over her mouth, her eyes were fastened to what she was seeing so firmly that she could not look away, blood gushed from the head wound Raymond had sustained, and, religious leader or not, he evidently knew every curse word in the book. Then he ran out of those and invented some new ones, and they poured out of his lips like the blood from his head.

A passing group of guards, having heard the noise and commotion, rushed to intervene, and passers by explained that the owner of a slave had lost control of her whip and injured 'that old man'. A guard approached and knelt in front of Cardinal Raymond.

"Let me see, remove your hands oldster, let me see the injury. Please." He said urgently as several guards lowered halberds around the now very unhappy woman.

"It was an accident!" She tried to assert, "I didn't mean to hit him! I swear it! I swear by the Six Gods!" She insisted over and over again.

With a grimace, the guard captain looked over the wound, and after removing a bandage kit from his side pouch, he wrapped Raymond's injury, covering head and face with a long cotton weave. "You'll live, sir." He said loudly enough for the crowd to hear, and bringing a sigh of relief to the shop mistress. "Can we take you somewhere for healing, can you afford that?" The guard captain asked solicitously.

"Yes, I'd appreciate a carriage ride." Raymond said with a grunt of pain, and populace's eyes went wide with shock and the woman's face went pale as he gave the location of his residence.

"Ah... who are you, old man?" The guardsman asked in a measure of disbelief.

"My name is Raymond." He answered.

The guardsman swallowed. "Like... 'Cardinal of Earth Raymond Zarg Lauransan'?" He hesitantly asked.

The halberd points got a lot closer to the woman they surrounded, and her face got a lot paler.

"That is my title, yes." Raymond replied, "That woman there apparently can control neither her slaves nor her whip." Raymond gasped out in pain and clutched his face still.

"She'll be taken into custody, have no fear of that, Cardinal." The captain said emphatically as he stood up. He pointed to one of his soldiers. "You, go find a carriage and have it brought here for the Cardinal. The rest of you, take that woman into custody for the reckless injury done here today, and station a guard at the shop, it is closed for today, and for the foreseeable future."

"But I... I..." The woman tried to protest, but her efforts fell on deaf ears and she was forced to walk at the tip of a half a dozen halberds.

A few minutes later, a carriage arrived, and the guard who brought it, helped Raymond inside. Nua mutely followed him, and door closed them into the little seating area alone together.

Nua looked at him in disbelief while Raymond was still clutching his face.

Neither spoke for a bit, but finally she broke the stalemate. "Why did you do that?" She asked.

"Do what?" He managed to get out between groans of pain.

"Don't play stupid, sir. I know what you did. You took control of that woman's weapon, I heard you use a martial art, and then you made it hit you instead of the slave." Nua said it in a tone that was a strange mixture of awe, disbelief, anger, and complete confusion.

"Gah, damn this hurts! Yes, yes I did, fine, you caught me." He said as he applied pressure to one part of the injury.

"So, why? Why did you do it?" She pressed the question further.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time." Raymond replied sardonically.

She pursed her lips in a little frown and all but glared at him. "Sir, you're avoiding the question.

"Because if she'd just missed, she'd have just done it again. If she'd hit him, only the six know how much damage she would have done. If she'd struck someone else, she might have paid a fine for the healing cost but not much else. But I'm a Cardinal, by injuring me she has fairly guaranteed herself a very long prison stay if she's lucky. She'll probably die behind stone walls." Raymond said and he leaned his head back against the outer corner of the carriage as it rolled along.

Nua's frown did not vanish. "So what? A thousand of us get beaten every day for any reason or none. Why help that one?" She asked, still puzzled.

"Because I was there to 'see' that one." Raymond replied bluntly. "If I could stop all of them, I would, but I'm not a king in this country, my power is limited and frankly, fragile. But I could help that one."

Nua got up from where she was seated and knelt in front of him, "Lay down on your side, sir." She instructed.

"What? Why?" He asked.

"Just do it." She said insistently.

"Fine." He replied, and did as she bade him.

"Hold still, this will sting for a moment." She further instructed him, and she began to unwrap the bandage so she could get a better look at the injury.

When the last of it came free, she gasped in shock, up close it was much, much worse than the limited view she was able to get before.

The gash was deep over his face and it had completely taken out one eye, a part of his nose had been severed off at the nostril and the forehead was cut deep and the injury obscured by blood.

"He did a sorry job of wrapping this, I have to redo it, just hold still, as soon as we're back to your home, let me get out, then you follow and let me help you in. I'll apply a few herbs and a fresh wrap then, and when I go out to the counting house I'll draw enough to go buy a real healing potion. Until I get back, just lay in bed, sir." She instructed him authoritatively, and he was in no mood to argue. Even talking hurt.

He didn't try to get up, and she moved to reclaim her seat, it wasn't until they were back to his residence that she asked, "You really aren't playing a game... are you?" In a voice of wondrous disbelief and almost breathless longing.


	8. Through New Eyes

...Kami Miyako...

The hateful look on her face that he'd come to take for granted was gone, but he could hardly take the time to appreciate that as the bandage was rewrapped in a more effective way, she'd torn part of the sack she wore and used that to more completely cover his missing eye. He wanted to tell her that he wasn't playing some kind of game, but the pain was hitting harder and harder and his arms shook as he lay in the carriage clutching the wound, he was doing enough just to keep his screams at bay.

He lost sight of her face when he closed his remaining eye so that it was shut against the pain of his injury, but he could feel her hands on the injury site, blood was seeping through the bandage. "Just stay calm, sir!" She said urgently, "It has been a long time, but I remember how to treat injuries like this, and I know we have the necessary herbs at your home. I'll be able to dull the pain in no time, then go out and get a healing potion to take care of it, everything will be fine, just don't tear at the bandage, it's tight and you might open the wound worse!"

He heard her speak but with the adrenaline worn off, the pain had taken over and he could barely comprehend her by the time the last word was spoken. Finally she could bear no more of his thrashing as a risk, so she moved close to him again and grabbed him at the bicep right over the elbow and put all her weight down on his arms to try to hold him in place.

'If 'this' is a game, I'm Cardinal Dominic.' She thought grimly, she'd seen injuries like this on elves before, never on humans, let alone never 'willingly' on a human for the sake of a slave. The carriage bumped over the cobblestone streets and more than once the high rate of speed threatened to throw them to the floor of it, she braced a foot at the bench behind her and kept her grip as best she could, no easy thing as he was far stronger than she thought he'd be. If he'd been focused on forcing her away, it would have been easy, as it was, it was clear that he was 'trying' to follow instructions she'd given him earlier.

Finally the carriage came to a sudden stop, she threw the door open and grabbed him by the arm, she started tugging her 'owner' out, and screaming for somebody to get out of the house and help her. Most people paid little attention to the sound of screaming in the air of Kami Miyako, but such things were never heard so close to Cardinal Raymond's manor, and this prompted a few heads to pop out of doors and windows.

The carriage driver, for his part, rather lacked the courage to do more than he had, and he sped away as fast as he could, leaving Nua to struggle with the weight of Cardinal Raymond. At first when people saw, there was outrage, an elf woman struggling against a human male was cause for discipline, yet as two or three neighbors rushed over thinking to attack 'her', they saw the way his face was bandaged and bloody and realized that she was trying to get him to the door of his house.

A moment later, just as they were reaching her, and two grown men took him up at either shoulder, she rushed towards the front door, reaching it just in time for the human butler to open it and look first at her horrified face, then beyond her to the very badly injured Raymond, prompting his expression to mimic that of the Nua.

"In here!" She shouted over her shoulder at the two men who were helping to half walk, half carry, Cardinal Raymond to his door.

She whirled on the butler and rattled off a list of ingredients, "Get those, quickly and have them gathered with mortar and pestle in the kitchen!"

The pair of humans followed her within when the butler rushed away to follow her guidance, and she led the two men over to a nearby couch. "Please, lay him there! And thank you, sirs! I can take care of him." She said as Raymond was lowered into place.

"What happened to him, slave?" The larger of the two men asked gruffly.

Nua flinched as if struck, the accusation was present in his tone, she immediately went to her knees and looked down. "Sir, I was accompanying him shopping, a woman about to discipline a slave, she lost control of her whip, it lashed my master clean across his face, the guards saw it, bandaged him, and sent him home in the public carriage since he can be easily treated here."

She was breathing hard, a lot could go wrong right now, even if she hadn't actually done anything wrong, and even if what she'd said had been quite truthful. Being near where a human was injured, had gotten many a slave put down before, even if they had nothing to do with the injury.

"Please... let me take care of my master... I'm a practiced herbalist, the butler of the manor, he went to gather what I need." She added urgently. "Please, you have to let me go, I have to do this now! My master doesn't have time for your doubts!" She said with a desperately emphatic plea.

He looked down at her with suspicion, but his compatriot shook his head and touched the shoulder of the gruff neighbor. "It's Raymond, he wouldn't keep someone he couldn't trust, and you saw her, Mikhas. She's obviously trying to help, let her do her job."

"It's true, my good masters, Nua is very dedicated to the service of the Cardinal, I have seen it for myself, and as an amateur herbalist myself, I recognize the ingredients she listed as being used in healing and pain reduction poultices. Please, leave him to her care." The butler said as he appeared behind the two men.

The one Nua now knew as Mikhas, grunted noncommittally, "Serve him well." He said, and with his compatriot leaving her with a wan, uncomfortable wish for her good luck and swift recovery, Nua was left alone with Raymond and the human servant.

"The ingredients are ready," he said, "See to it, I'll do what I can to keep the area clear of interference but..." his words were cut off by a cry of pain from Cardinal Raymond, "I am afraid most will want to come and see him."

"Do what you can, I'll do my part." Nua said and rushed into the kitchen, she began pinching off materials from various plants into a mortar and grinding away at them as fast as she could with the pestle. She felt the sweat bead on her forehead, and one of the human maids rushed in as she worked. "What happened to the Cardinal?!" She demanded emphatically.

"There's no time for those questions!" Nua snapped, "You want to help him? Go to the counting house and draw money from his account, then go buy a healing potion so I don't have to, I've seen what wounds like that do and I have to act fast!" Nua had never snapped at anyone else in the house before. She'd given perfunctory orders as she'd taken de facto control over the general administration of the place, and demonstrated that she was very gifted in the ordering of a household. But never had she raised a voice to anyone, least of all a human, save for Raymond in private.

The maid was quiet for a moment, and still for just as long. "Do it!" Nua shouted as she wiped her brow and began to mix heated wax into the already sticky substance. She heard a cry from the living area. The maid rushed to follow her orders, she knew this because she heard the sound of a slamming door.

"Hold down his arms! Don't let him go for the injury!" She shouted, "Tie him if you have to!"

She felt her heart beating a mile a moment.

"Someone, come quick, I need an answer to something!" She called out, and one of the older elf residents appeared.

"What is it?" He asked with urgency and care in his voice.

"How long does it take to get someplace from here that sells healing potions?" She asked as she heated the substance further and poured honey into the mix.

"A finger span out and then another back, why?" He asked with fear in his voice when he saw Nua's expression.

"Why?!" He asked fiercely when Nua did not answer.

"Damn it!" She snapped at nothing. She ignored the question and rushed out of the room with the mortar in hand, two elves were holding Raymond down.

He was thrashing, hard. She rushed behind where he lay so that she was behind his head. And began to unwrap the bandage, the worst of the bleeding had stopped, but already she could see a clear substance leaking from the injury site at the head and eye. Mute gasps met her face from the others as they saw how bad the injury was.

She drew several fingers through the sticky substance and slathered it over the injury from his forehead down across the entire length, including a generous helping to the utterly destroyed eye socket.

"Hold him fast." She said as she straightened back up. "In a few moments he'll pass out, then we just have to hope that the maid gets back in time, if this stuff isn't strong enough, he may be lost to us before she gets back."

They looked at her with alarm. "What do you mean?!" They said in shock,

"It's ugly and it's lethal?"

Nua nodded grimly and explained the events that led to his nasty injury, "Tools like what injured him are often tainted, goodness alone knows why, but dirty implements of blood and pain often result in sickness, worse, because he's not an elf, he's particularly vulnerable to the same infections that sometimes kill us, if I were beaten in the same way, I might be sick for days or even weeks, but I have a chance to recover. The last time I saw a human who was hit with something used to bloody an elf slave, he got sick and died within two or three hours, but properly treated, there is a chance to survive. However, Raymond was struck in the eye, injuries like that seem to bring sickness even faster. So faster we must go."

Nua stepped back and wiped her brow again, then set aside the pestle and rewrapped the injury with a fresh cloth torn from his own garment.

"So what was that substance?" The butler asked as he approached from behind her.

"I thought you said you recognized what I was asking for?" Nua asked in return.

"Oh, I lied." He responded. "They were in the way and it seemed the best way to get them to leave."

She looked at him in surprise, "Why would you do that? If he dies, you could be punished too if they blame me."

"I got the feeling that you were genuinely trying to help. So, I had to take a chance and trust you." He answered. "Did I make the right choice?" He asked quietly.

Nua gave a small nod. "Yes, helping him is the point. But still..." She started to say, then didn't finish the sentence.

Raymond had stopped moving entirely, she got close and knelt at his side, she then lowered her ear over his mouth and watched his chest, it rose and fell in a steady rhythm and she felt a slow but steady breath striking her ear, and she heard the stable sound of inhale and exhale.

"I think he'll be OK, that poultice is not a cure, far from it, but it does slow down the infection, once we have an actual healing potion, we can say for sure that he'll be completely safe, though he'll probably be bedridden for a day or two as an after effect." Nua said authoritatively and then she let herself collapse into a nearby chair with her legs stretched out and her arms over the sides of the arm rests.

"When will he be awake though?" The butler asked with concern.

Nua stroked her temple and leaned forward in thought, "Things like this don't happen often, when you people torture us, if we're not beaten to death, infections like this keep us unconscious for a few days, but that also might have to do with the severity of the beating." Her voice was clinical as she spoke on the subject, she didn't even notice that the butler had the good grace to look shame-faced at her response.

"If a human gets treatment in time, and a potion, well he still probably won't speak for the rest of the day, but maybe tomorrow assuming he survives, no later than the day after. Something about this type of injury is fairly resistant to the magic of potions though, so it is hard to say, it'll work, I just don't know how long, and he'll need care through the night. He'll have to be kept as stable as possible. I'll take care of that though, just bring him up to his room after the poultice has been allowed to dry against him, and after we've got a potion handy." She stopped talking briefly and took a deep breath.

"That must be administered as quickly as possible. So I don't want him moved before then. I also don't want him disturbed tonight." She added, "I'll handle everything."

"I'll leave this to your expertise then." The butler said confidently.

The maid returned shortly thereafter, and Nua immediately went over, snatched it out of her hand, then rushed to pour it over Raymond's head and face.

"OK, take him to bed, please." She said, and two elf men picked him up at the shoulders and feet, and slowly carried his unconscious body up the stairs and the rest of the way to his room, while Nua followed behind.

Her footsteps were filled with trepidation and her heart was filled with anxiety, it had been a long time since she wanted a human to do anything but die, or die painfully. 'I did not see today ending up like this, no I definitely did not.' Nua thought to herself. The two elves put Raymond into his bed as gently as they could and as they moved away Nua turned to them and said, "Have a message dispatched to Ginedine and Berenice, I think they may want to know about this."

"We will." They said calmly, but their own faces were anxious as well. Raymond had promised all of them liberation and safety, if he perished with no heir, all those promises would vanish and it was back to the auction block. Even those who did not truly believe his promise, acknowledged that he was good to them, and who knew whether the next in the long line of owners would be a monster or not?

Nua didn't bother to comfort them, she had little enough of that for herself as the door closed behind her. She went to the bathroom and filled a small basin with water and took a cloth and dropped it in. As she left she hollered over the stairs, "Bring me a few more rolls of bandages as well, I may need them."

She didn't wait for acknowledgement, she just returned to his room. The truth was, she 'knew' she'd need them, but that bit of sophistry in the way she said it implying that she might not, might make them feel better at least, that was all the comfort she felt she could offer them.

She pulled up a seat next to his bed, he was completely out of it, laying there as if sleeping.

She watched him breath. "Stupid." She said, unsure who she was talking about just then, she shook her head vigorously and began to wipe the cloth on his face, the water was clean and warm, it might make him feel better in his slumber, but if she were being truthful, she would have to admit she was mainly doing it so that she could feel like she was doing something.

"You know," she said to the unconscious man, "if you'd just taken that blow somewhere other than the face, you might not be so badly off, getting that straight to the eye? Really bad idea, not that anywhere else was better, but really, what were you thinking?" She asked him.

"Yeah... what were you thinking?" She repeated to herself, and started to replay every single interaction she'd had with him, and every interaction she'd seen Raymond have with his two human counterparts, this time assuming that he actually 'meant' the things he said.

A thought occurred to her. "No..." She whispered and looked down at him, "I'm pretty damned sure you didn't get this sickness on purpose but... the rest of it, getting your fool self hurt wasn't some kind of ridiculous 'penance' was it?" She asked him again, he still couldn't answer, unconscious people generally didn't say much.

"You realize you're going to answer a lot of questions from me when you wake up, right?" She asked him further and she soaked the cloth again. "First of those is going to ask if you had any idea of your own race's vulnerability to toxins that are moderate to us. I think you had to have some idea, especially if you'd killed my people before. You'd almost have to know the way we used the resources of the forest to kill you all. I swear if you don't have a good answer to this, I'm going to have some really harsh words for you." She said emphatically.

She was babbling now, she knew it. He didn't, but she definitely did. She swallowed hard. "But you'd better wake up."

Minutes passed like hours, but as they must, they passed nonetheless. Eventually a knock came at the door.

"Yes?" Nua asked.

"We received the message, we're here to see Raymond." A feminine voice replied from beyond that Nua recognized as belonging to Cardinal Berenice.

"Please come in." Nua responded, and the door opened to admit the two cardinals. Nua did not go to her knees for them, she stayed seated beside Raymond.

"What can you tell us?" Ginedine asked with concern.

Nua relayed the events of the day down to the present.

"You have done us a great service, Nua, and I won't forget it." Berenice said quietly.

Nua's face was less than neutral but not exactly friendly. "It's been a long time since I've seen a human that I didn't think deserved to die, I wasn't going to let the first one like that, pass away in front of me."

Neither Berenice nor Ginedine had anything they could say to that, and Nua turned away to look at Raymond again. "I'm sure he'll want to know what's been happening today while he'll have been sleeping. Can you tell me, and I'll tell him when he wakes up?" Nua asked patiently.

"I suppose so." Ginedine said. "The short version is that half the Black Scripture in the Southern Holy Kingdom is going to be recalled, and the joint siege of Prart was a complete failure. The recall will have them sent to the Elf Kingdom to deal with Zesshi."

"Wait, Zesshi? Cardinal Raymond told me about her, wasn't she 'part' of the Black Scripture? Would they really kill their former comrade so lightly?" Nua asked in surprise.

Berenice let out a heavy sigh of frustration, "I honestly do not know, they're the only ones who have a chance, but whether they're willing or not is another matter. Dominic thinks they will, but if they find out 'why' she turned on them, I have serious doubts."

"Anything else?" She asked Berenice.

"Thousand Mile Astrologer is active again, she'd done the occasional 'glimpse' for us before, but most of the time she just hid in seclusion. Somehow though, Dominic got her to come out at last, it means a lot of our plans are on hold. But we got the land, the contracts, and we're shipping the elves to be freed, out of the city to the farm lands to raise crops."

"So we're still your slave labor." Nua looked at her with something akin to hurt and hate.

Ginedine folded his hands in front of him and looked down unhappily. "Please understand, this is the only thing we can do, it gives them a 'use' to justify keeping them out of the worst hands, it will make them easy to rescue later, and ensure there is enough food to feed them. This was the best plan we could come up with, I promise you. Nobody will be hurt there, and we can keep your people safe. If you have another idea... I'd be happy to hear you out." He said unhappily.

Nua thought the matter over. "Is it true, what General Enri did in Ikari?"

"Probably, whatever you heard is probably true, no matter how crazy it may sound." Berenice said with a roll of her eyes.

"I mean that she raided the great farms and imprisoned their owners." Nua asked curiously.

"Yes." Berenice replied.

"You realize that you're in the same position they were, I don't know who will finally burn this hell, but whoever comes, might not see you as an ally, are you prepared to be punished as traffickers and slave masters?" She asked curiously.

"It doesn't matter, the way we've ruled for so many years won't be wiped away by a year's kindness. We're both resolved to face what end we must." Ginedine replied resolutely.

"Can I ask you both something else?" Nua responded to that with a curious tone.

"I suppose." Berenice replied.

"You've grown up seeing my people in bondage, I'm sure you've seen slaves whipped or sold or other horrors of our existence before now. So... what were you thinking for all those years? If you're on Raymond's side and... well, it is just hard to grasp if you really are as decent as you present yourselves, what could you have been seeing for all those years when you looked at us?"

"Background. I guess." Ginedine said in a low voice. "We grew up in this environment, we thought it was all perfectly normal, though I'll admit things have gotten worse, all we knew was what we saw, and the cries and pain of your people were in the background from the time we were born. All I can do is plead ignorance, everything there was, was so common that we couldn't see it for what it really was. To us, it was just part of the world until it was challenged. No 'I'm sorry' can make up for it." Ginedine replied sadly, "But I will do what deeds I can, to 'begin' to make things right again."

Nua accepted their words with a neutral mask. "Nice to be seen now, at least." She said in a small voice, "I was going to ask Raymond the same question but..." she gestured to his sleeping form, "this happened, now though, I don't think I will. I'll take care of him from here, you two go do your work, I'll fill him in on what you've told me, as soon as he can be up and about again."

The pair of cardinals nodded, "Alright, take care, both of you." Berenice ventured a gentle smile at Nua, which Nua did not manage to return.

They left, and she was alone again but for her charge. She changed the bandage twice more, but gradually color began to return to him, her only real concern remained chills or fever, and she couldn't predict which symptom would hit or when.

The moon was high in the night when she detected the shaking and shivering started, it was something of a relief. Fever was worse for him, though this was going to be somewhat awkward for her. If it got him to recover faster, so be it.

She pushed the chair back from the bed, and drew another blanket over him for good measure, then she climbed onto the bed with him, so that her body's warmth could be shared with his. "Never thought I'd do this for another human." She said quietly as she nestled up against him.

...Kami Miyako...148 years earlier...

Nua looked at the shaking body of the son of the master of the manor, an older woman was tending to him. It was strange to Nua to see care on a human's face, but at least they seemed to love their children. "You're to help her with anything she needs, I want my son to have care every moment, day and night alike." He said firmly.

Nua looked down at his feet. "As you say, sir, I'll do everything I'm told."

"See that you do." The somewhat overweight balding owner of the latifundia said firmly.

Having been given instructions to obey, Nua did her best, the old woman was a master potion maker and herbalist, and now she'd been tasked to assist the old woman. It was a relief from the backbreaking labor in the fields after Hodge had grown bored with her, and the field had been a relief from the things that entertained Hodge.

As she rushed back and forth learning to mix ingredients, she reflected that her life was actually improving, and too, the human instructing her was not only relatively nice, she'd praised Nua as having a talent for herbalism.

The master's son recovered a few days into Nua's lessons, and the old woman credited Nua's hard work in part for his improvement, in this way, she came to work in the same house as Aalon. He was a nice looking man, and much kinder than his father.

When the old woman passed away the following year, Nua took her position and began to serve in the manor, making poultices for slaves who injured themselves in the field or who were disciplined by the overseers.

It was busy work, a latifundium was a vast estate, and as a result she improved by leaps and bounds, and often came into contact with the increasingly appealing and uncommonly kind Aalon. She would smile at him, and when Hodge, being a large landowner himself, would visit to deal with Aalon's father, Aalon would let her hide in his room for the day so there was no chance she'd be seen by her former tormentor. As the days turned into weeks with nary a harsh word, she began to feel an abiding affection for him, and she began to show it in small ways, touching his hand when she gave him the product of her work, meeting his eyes longer than she needed to, smiling more when he came into a room.

He too, began to show her greater generosity, when she would intercede with him on behalf of a fellow slave, he would almost always give way to what she asked for, tempering the harsh reign of his father which ironically improved his father's estimation of his son, as he saw his son began to develop a backbone, resulting in Aalon being named the heir to their entire holdings, rather than letting them be divided up among his cousins and himself.

She'd been happy for him, proud of him even. It was often hard for her to remember that she was even considered property, as her position in the estate had become quite valuable, as her poultices were shipped out to other family holdings as a result of their considerably higher quality.

Then Aalon had been injured, he'd rebuked a drunken overseer for disciplining a slave too harshly, and the overseer had lashed out with a still bloody whip and struck the young man brutally. The overseer had the sense to flee, only to be brought down later and imprisoned. For Aalon however, the damage had been done, he'd been rushed to the estate where Nua immediately had him drawn to his bed. She gave orders fast and flawlessly to human and elf alike, hour after hour she sat at his bedside and prayed to the gods she'd forgotten she ever believed in that he live, the young man's father attended frequently and asked after his son, it was the only time he'd been truly kind to Nua, as he saw the dedication she'd put into saving his son's life.

After three nights, the chill set in, and she'd gotten into the bed with him, sharing her warmth, and it was the next morning he woke up, finding his arm draped over her. The blush was almost amusing to the more experienced slave. "Welcome back to life, Aalon." She said sweetly. "Looks like you're going to live, it was a narrow thing though."

"Did I, did we?" He started to stammer, and she laughed.

"No, I was just warming you up after the chills hit, that was the last dangerous symptom, with that passed and you awake, assuming you don't die from something else first, you'll live a long life." She said happily.

"Well, thank you, ah, the man who did this to me?" He asked.

"I believe your father had him executed yesterday morning." Nua said indifferently.

"Oh. Well nothing lost then." Aalon said sharply.

"No, nothing of value anyway." She agreed. "Now if you'll pardon me, I'll need to inform your father that you're alive and awake."

Aalon gave a smile and a nod and sat himself up in bed. "Come see me after that."

"Of course." She replied enthusiastically.

The shouts of happiness echoed all through the manor. Even among those bound to the estate, there were many who had a tendency to favor the kindly young man who interceded with his father on their behalf, keeping some families together that would have been broken apart, even using his own coin to see some returned to loving arms when his father had not given in.

Nua followed Aalon's father to his son's room, and when he saw that his son was awake, he rushed to embrace the boy as if he were a newborn again. After a few minutes, the father broke the hug and turned to Nua.

"You, slave, you saved my son. You're his from this day forward, I see the affection you have for him, I know you'll serve him well, you need obey nobody else on this estate, only him." It had been an enthusiastic statement, one that surprised Nua a great deal, all the more so when he followed through on it.

That night, she'd left her own quarters and gone to his, she'd touched his shoulder and shaken him awake, a bold enough move, but not as bold as when she'd removed her clothing and slid into the bed with him, and even that was not as bold as when she'd whispered that she loved him. Though it had made her heart sing to hear him return those words to her himself. For two years their liaison carried on. For two years, Nua was happy, she had all but forgotten that she was a slave, save for those rare hours when she had to leave the estate with him, and she had to put on a pretense for the public.

It was after the return from one such outing that all that changed. They'd come through the door, chatting idly and she already removing the implements of pretense that did not even have a proper lock anymore, and Aalon's father had called his son into the antechamber.

There he sat, with a young pretty looking human in formal dress. "Aalon, this is Pharmakia, daughter of Lamen. She'll be marrying you in the spring to join our houses."

The girl bowed her head politely, and Aalon had just stood there in surprise, if he'd said anything, Nua never knew, she overheard what was said, and fled to Aalon's bed where she cried for hours.

...Kami Miyako...Raymond's Residence...Present Day...

Nua woke up the next morning to the sound of a shout of surprise. "Nua! What the hell...?" Raymond called out as he shot up into a seated position.

'Well, that's different than last time.' She thought. "Looks like you get to live another day." She said and swung her legs over the side of the bed, stood up, and stretched. "By the way, you snore." She gave him a wink, and against all anticipation, Raymond started to laugh.

**AN: Hope you're enjoying this one, lots of character development and other stuff to do before this story reconnects with 'God Rising' but we're drawing towards a conclusion, so enjoy the ride and see you on the next chapter! :) **


	9. Awake

**AN: This is going to be a fairly large story, with lots of intertwined events that lead to a significant conclusion when it ties back in to God Rising, so... enjoy the ride, it's a less 'action packed' story, and one more riddled with explorations of society, individual motives, and character development. Hope you enjoy, and if you do, tell me about it.**

...Raymond's Quarters...

"Looks like you're a hardy one." Nua said confidently as she swung her arms and stretched out while Raymond tried to stifle his laughter.

"A lot of humans would have died before the potion got here, even with a slowing poultice to fight off the sickness." She said with a straight face.

"Thanks... I think." He said in response as he rubbed his head, vaguely thinking he'd just been praised.

Nua threw her hands to her hips, bent towards him slightly so that she was inches from his face. "How's your eye, can you see out of it properly?" She asked.

"Yes." He said, blinking his healed eye.

"Good, then you'll see this coming." She quipped as she smacked him sharply across the face, he looked at her in surprise, his eyes going wide.

He touched the place where she'd struck him and she balled up her fists in front of her, bit her lip, and choked out, "You idiot. Why did you do that? You could have died, you were this close!" She said and held up her thumb and forefinger so that the pads of them were barely the width of a hair from touching. "Five minutes later with that potion and we'd have all been bound for the block and you for the dirt!"

"Nua, just yesterday... or was it the day before, I don't know, I've lost track, but anyway just before, you were saying you'd appreciate it if I and every human would just die." Raymond said flatly and folded his arms in front of him as he started to swing his legs over the side of the bed.

Nua did not break her expression, "That was before, when I thought you were evil incarnate just waiting to break my heart again before either hurting me or selling me or something. Like Aalon, like Hodge. I didn't think it was possible that someone who runs a living hell to actually not be evil. Then you go and do something not just 'decent'... but the most noble thing I've seen in over two hundred years. Then... then you try to go and die on me? That would be a real heart breaking story, just like a bad novel, you die right as I start to... ah, not hate you." She shook her head.

"I don't know what possessed that defective human brain of yours though, to let yourself get hit in the damned eye! You had full control of that whip, you could have lashed your toe, your chest, your arm, anything. But what did you choose, right across the face, right through your eye!" Her voice became a high pitched crescendo of emotional condemnation, but as Raymond listened to her ranting at him, he couldn't be mad, it was actually the most heartening thing he'd seen out of her since he bought her.

"OK... maybe that wasn't the best call, but there wasn't time to think about it, and it seemed like a good idea in the moment." He had the good grace to look a little abashed.

"Uh huh, well you listen to me, Mr. Cardinal Raymond, you're the first human I haven't wanted dead in a really, really long time, and that means you're not allowed to do anything stupid enough to get you killed. Elves have a good deal of resistance to whatever poisons exist in blood, but you humans... well I guess you're fragile that way." She winked at him and stepped back.

"Still, you lived, so I guess I can forgive you this one time." She said, holding up one finger to show the gravity of her 'generous forgiveness'.

"Thank you, I think." Raymond replied, as he grew more and more surprised by the change in Nua's behavior. 'Is this what she was like, before my country got a hold of her?' He wondered.

"I take it you don't want to go to Berenice then?" He asked considerately.

"I didn't break my hand when I slapped you last time you know." She gave him a mocking grin as she spoke.

"Well... care to explain why you were in bed with me?" Raymond asked.

"As soon as you explain when you plan on putting pants on." Nua said, speaking so casually that he almost didn't grasp what she was talking about and realized that he was wearing... well, not pants.

She politely turned her back as he blushed, got up, and went to put on pants.

"Could you explain also why I was not wearing those?" He asked sardonically.

"Oh, well I was taking care of you last night, no, not that way, don't even say it, you perv. I was making sure you got better, one of the side effects of the poultice after fighting infection is increased urination, I figured you didn't want to piss your bed or yourself, so I stripped those off and put a bedpan there. When you've got to go, you've got to go." She said throwing her arms out expansively, as if to say he 'really' had to go.

"OK, you can turn around now." He said.

"As for the rest, never heard a human male complain about finding a pretty girl in bed with him. Course it's been over a hundred and forty years since I've been in a bed with one whose throat I didn't want to slit while they slept either." Her face went vicious for a moment, but she shook that off and answered him, "One dangerous symptom is a fit of chills, they're dangerous in their own right, not usually lethal, but they can be, and body heat seems to be the best way to prevent them from overtaking the patient. And by then..." Her voice went whisper quiet, "I didn't want you to die anymore."

"I feel like I'm supposed to say 'thank you' for that last part... but that's uncomfortable, so how about I just thank you for taking care of me last night, and... yesterday. I didn't expect it to go that badly." Raymond replied in a grave voice.

"Alright, fair enough, but I'd still do it again...… just differently." He said glumly.

She raised one of her pretty golden eyebrows and looked at him with an expression that said he was the most dense person she'd ever met. She cocked her head and folded her arms in front of her and just stared at him. He looked back at her and let her think it through. Finally she relaxed, he had a point. "You did help someone I guess…" She admitted hesitantly.

"Very well," Nua replied with a slight 'hmph'. "I believe you, alright? All the way, no reservations, no hesitations, nobody would go that insanely far just to trick one little elf slave, I won't apologize for doubting you, but you've convinced me." She paused a second and then asked, "But what do we do now?"

"Do about what?" Raymond asked, confused as he stood up to go get a shirt on. Nua politely turned her back again.

"Don't play dumb Raymond, I've already spoken with Berenice and Ginedine, I'll fill you in on what they told me, but before I do that, I want in. Those are my people out there, not yours, and if there really is some way to help them until a large scale rescue can be conducted, then I want to be part of it." Nua said firmly.

"Not even a week ago you were quaking in terror at even being near me... how..." Raymond looked at her in disbelief, she still had her back to him when she cleared her throat.

"How did I find some backbone? Alright, it's a fair question. Don't move, this... makes me uncomfortable." She said in a vulnerable voice.

She reached down and took the bottom of her tunic in hand, then raised it up and pulled it over her head, stripping herself from the back. In other circumstances, one might have said she was beautiful, shapely and young with her golden hair, but what stirred in Raymond was nothing like desire, because up and down her back were hideous, brutal scars.

"Hodge did most of what you see there." She said coldly, "The day after I gave myself to him, out of... misplaced affection. I never saw it coming. I slept with him that night, and when I woke up in his arms the next morning he had me taken outside, and did this. Not all of these are his, but most of them are. Not all of the humans that have owned me over the years were such pure unadulterated evil. A few of these happened right after another human I made the mistake of loving, sold me off... at a discount, over his wife's jealousy." Her voice was hard as she spoke, but she didn't break a syllable, she didn't shed a tear, he guessed she ran out of them a long time ago over those events.

Raymond shifted his gaze, "Raymond don't you dare look away from me!" She snapped, "If I survived it being done, you can survive looking at it."

He forced himself to look at the ugly criss cross patterns, he tried to imagine her going through it, he couldn't.

"After I was sold by the second human I trusted, I got lucky, I was whipped lightly, and only once, just to show me who was in charge, just simple leather, it stung like hell, but after Hodge, it was nothing. But I realized that if I was afraid, I was safer, I saw some of my people try to fight back, resist, they came to bad ends, better to let fear guide me rather than hatred, so I listened to fear, because there was no hope. Some of my people kill themselves in captivity for that reason, hopelessness is lethal I guess. But do you know why I didn't?" She asked stonily.

"No, why?" He asked, transfixed by her hard tone and terrible marks.

"Because I knew if I survived, there might be some day where hope appeared. If I kept my head down, listened to my fears, avoided trusting any of you so that I couldn't get my heart broken, avoided giving anyone any excuses, and learned how to blend and to behave... I could make some kind of life for myself. I was still a skilled herbalist, and I learned how to administer a household, so being a house slave, I had plenty of comfort, relative to others like me that were stuck out in the fields. I worked those a time or two or twelve, and those were a bad place to be… but I could generally avoid beatings except between sales, I could even avoid your country's second favorite use for us by showing off my ugly scars. Since Hodge made me ugly except when I was on my back or in the dark, and my skills made me useful, and my fear kept humans from thinking they had to prove their power over me... well I could have had it worse. So I could 'wait' for hope." She said in a voice that sounded like she thought her wait was over.

"There was no point in fighting what I couldn't win, running when I couldn't run, or dying when I could find some way to make things manageable at least. Now... here you are, actually trying to change things, and there's actually people out there fighting to get us out of this nightmare, and a force capable of bringing down this nest of vipers you call a country. Now there is a 'reason' to be brave, a reason to take risks, because there is some chance at success. I'm not going back, I can't, I won't. There is no other choice for me, CARDINAL Raymond. I will do everything I can within my power to help you succeed, or I'll die in the attempt. Does that answer your question?" She asked, and crouched down to pick up the garment she'd cast off, and put it back on, hiding her scars.

"It does, it definitely does." Raymond said, regretting his question. "Now, will you turn around and look at me?" He asked.

She did. "You're a beautiful girl, don't let anyone tell you differently." He said gently, she looked at him long and hard, searching for a hint of mockery, she found none.

"Thank you." She said, "But that isn't important now, first, tell me what I want to know, what can I do?"

...Kami Miyako...Residence of Dolorem...That Night...

Dolorem was stretched out in his chair reading, across from him in another chair, Elpida was doing the same, they'd been enjoying amicable silence for quite some time, were it not for her mutilated ears and sharp, angular features, one would forget that they were not a married couple, though they might as well have been as far as they were concerned. Elpida was not a human, she was an elf slave purchased at auction.

If anyone were watching that night, they could be forgiven for not realizing it. "I'm going to get something to drink, would you like something Elpida?" Dolorem asked as he stood up.

"No, thank you my dear, I'm fine as I am." Elpida replied warmly.

That he did for himself and made an offer to her, distinguished them from most within the city, and that night, his simple consideration took him out of the room when he heard Elpida stir, and then cry out in surprise. He rushed back into the room and found her standing at the window looking out into the night.

"What is it?" Dolorem asked as he rushed to her side and took her shoulders protectively in his hands. She felt relief at the strong calloused fingers that graced her skin. He made her feel safe.

She pointed outside, "Down there. I heard a noise, I looked, and saw that." She said as she shook in fear, there was a corpse outside the window, naked and bloody up and down the back.

"Stay here." He said, and rushed out the side door and over to the body. A single glance told him what he was dealing with.

He crouched down next to the poor thing, he felt pity swell in his heart, the mutilated ears and blonde hair immediately screamed 'elf slave' and even if that hadn't, between the fair skin and brutal scars, it was obvious she'd been owned by some truly terrible monster. The blood on her back spoke of recent abuse, and the lack of clothing suggested more that wasn't visible. He shook his head and touched her, and to his surprise, the corpse managed a desperate little noise. "Help... me... please... help..." It was barely audible. He looked around.

There was nothing around to suggest she'd been dumped, and the brutal rope burns on her wrists suggested she'd been tied, then gotten loose, and run for it, powered by pure fear until she collapsed here.

"Damn it all." Dolorem said grimly and put his arms under her and rushed back to the side door, he carried her in and Elpida rushed over. "She's still alive," he said urgently, "Go lay something out that I can set her down on, then grab an herbal poultice and let's get her wounds sealed. I'll get water and clean the wounds."

They wasted not a moment, she grabbed an old blanket and laid it out over the table where they'd been reading, it was long enough for a small person, and this poor girl was rather on the small side, slight even for an elf female.

Elpida was already heating the poultice before he grabbed the water, it wouldn't be long. "Just hang in there!" Dolorem said urgently, "You're safe, we're just going to clean you up and patch your wounds." He explained to her as he poured cool clean water up and down her back and began to pat down the bleeding areas, as he'd suspected, knife marks, lots of them. Luckily they'd been slashes, and they missed the worst places.

He wiped the blood away that hadn't been soaked up by the pats, lots of injuries, old scars, but if she were treated, he was confident she would survive.

She was moaning in pain at his actions, he looked over at Elpida as she came into the room, "Alright, I'll leave this part to you, I don't think she'd want a human's touch right now." He said encouragingly and stepped out of the way.

Elpida knelt next to the woman and dipped her fingers into the substance and covered each cut in turn. "This will dull the pain and help you heal, but you must not move, alright?" She asked.

"Don't... send me back..." The wounded elf whimpered.

"Nobody will send you back, alright?" Elpida said as she touched the girl's hair.

No response came, as the girl slipped into unconsciousness.

"What do you think?" Dolorem asked.

Elpida stood up and went to wash her hands. "Well she's been hurt pretty badly, but my guess is that she'll survive, she will however, be asleep till midmorning tomorrow, and we can get her story then, no need to watch her, she won't be going anywhere tonight.

"But you want to look after her anyway." Dolorem said patiently.

"Yes." Elpida said, lowering her eyes and folding her hands in front of her. "Is that..." She started to ask, until Dolorem approached and took her hands in his.

"Elpida, in these walls, you are no slave, I know, you don't blame 'me' for doing that to her, but I understand if you feel it hard to set me apart from the rest of humanity. It's alright, stay the night out here with her, just wake me if anything changes, and we'll help her as much as we can tomorrow." He said kindly and drew her forward into a comforting embrace.

"The only good man in Kami Miyako... how did I get this lucky?" She asked him, and herself.

Dolorem looked at her with the candle dancing reflected in his large brown eyes and whispered, "Just by being you. Go ahead, you look after her, just don't try to do anything crazy like take her out of the house, it isn't safe out there for either of you." He reminded her.

"I know." Elpida said as she reached out, grabbed a cloth, and started to dry her hands.

"Why do I get the feeling that tomorrow is going to be a very, very difficult day?" Dolorem asked, already feeling the strain for things he hadn't even done yet.

"Tell me about it." Elpida said flatly as she walked back over to her wounded charge, "But do so in the morning, because you've got to sleep if you're going to work tomorrow." She reminded him, he gave her a roll of his eyes and a tender smile, before he went to their shared bedroom and flopped down to sleep.

...Kami Miyako...146 years earlier…

Nua wept in Aalon's bed for what felt like an eternity, and cursed herself through most of it. "Stupid girl, you should have seen this coming, he's still a human, he's still the son of the master of this place, and he's still 'your' owner. Why would you ever waste time dreaming about just you and he having a nice life in his manor, did you think you'd be the lady of the house, welcoming other humans to afternoon tea? How absurd!" She verbally berated herself for her folly, until Aalon himself entered the room and quietly closed the door behind his back.

"Hey…" He said uncomfortably.

Nua got off of the bed, approached, and went to her knees in front of him. "Can I do anything for you, master?" She asked in a broken hearted voice. She'd not postured herself this way since they'd begun their affair, but seeing as he was getting a 'proper' wife, she could think of nothing else but to revert to how things had been.

Aalon got down in front of her so that he was eye level with her. "Nua, no, I… listen I know how things are, how they look, but I swear I don't love Pharmakia, I… I love you." He said sincerely.

Nua's eyes had not yet dried, and his words prodded at her aching heart. She reached out and touched his shoulders, letting her delicate hands rest there, she held his eyes with hers and spoke in a small, hurt voice. "Aalon… what we had was wonderful, but it was just a dream, a stupid childish dream, and I have, we have, to wake up from it. This is Kami Miyako, I'm not your wife and I never will be. The best I can hope for is to be a concubine you're fond of, and if I'm lucky, hold your hand when you go to your final rest, then hope whoever you leave me to is kind to me. I spent too long dreaming, I'd rather wake up now, before the dream turns into a nightmare."

"Are you saying you don't love me?" Aalon asked, hurt.

Nua rapidly shook her head, "No, I do, I do love you. I wouldn't have been crying in your bed for hours if I didn't. But I am saying that love doesn't change anything. I'm an elf slave in the capital of a human supremacist nation, it might be easy for you to forget, but if I forget, who knows what would happen to me?" She shuddered.

"So you're saying we can't…" He looked away shyly, and she tittered a little and covered her mouth.

"We've done it a hundred times and you're still shy about saying it?" She asked incredulously. "You're going to be the heir of this house and this estate and everything. Your father dies, you'll become head of the family and you can do whatever you want. But… don't give your wife-to-be a reason to turn on me over it." She cautioned him.

He nodded sagely at her advice, and they lay together again that night.

The next few weeks were a whirlwind of activity as Pharmakia's family began to show up for final negotiations on the young couple's union, and to prepare for the celebration. Nua made the best of it all, being polite and deferential to Pharmakia whenever she saw the woman. As humans went, Nua supposed she was fairly pretty, with auburn hair, rosy cheeks, bluish green eyes, and a slender shape. She was also a young adult, in the flower of her youth if truth be told, so she fairly glowed.

The day of the wedding finally came, and Nua watched from a window in an upper room as the man she loved married another. It stung, but it was, as she well knew, inevitable.

Pharmakia let herself be kissed demurely after the priest intoned the blessing. Cheers went up from both families and they went back into the house to continue the party with food and drinks. Nua hid herself away in her work area to avoid the crowd of unfamiliar humans, and didn't come out until only the sound of silence filled the air.

When she did come out, the house was dark. She however, knew the house very well, so walking in the dark was easy. She went to Aalon's bedroom and hid all noise as she drew close. She heard what she expected, the sound of Pharmakia and Aalon in the throws of sexual bliss.

'You knew this was going to happen, don't you dare cry you stupid girl.' Nua thought to herself, and withdrew to her private living space. She didn't sleep well, but she got more rest than the newly married couple she supposed. And the next few days after that, she did her best to avoid being in the same room as Aalon's new wife.

Eventually, she noticed, and one bright morning when most of the house was empty and Nua was laboring over a poultice in her work area, Pharmakia entered and fairly trapped her there. "You're avoiding me."

Nua swallowed hard, she went out from behind her work bench and sank to her knees in front of her master's wife.

"Not going to deny it?" She asked curiously as she folded her arms in front of her chest.

Nua slowly shook her head.

"Are you sleeping with him?" She asked Nua bluntly.

Nua's mouth fell open at the brazen question.

"Slave. I asked you a question. Are. You. Sleeping. With. My. Husband?" Pharmakia turned every word into its own sentence, slowly emphasizing every word. Nua carefully hid her terror, this was where danger lay greatest, she had to answer with care.

She nodded twice and lowered her gaze to the feet of the mistress of the house. "I… was. Not since the wedding though." She emphasized.

"It's fine." Pharmakia said casually, "I just wanted to know, I thought that might be a reason to avoid me, but I assure you, it isn't a problem." She said, waving it off with a simple hand gesture that showed how indifferent she was to the affair.

Nua looked up at her in disbelief. It was no secret that most large land owning men kept a mistress or two, either human or elf, but most wives pretended ignorance of it as a matter of propriety.

Pharmakia chose a more open view, clearly. "No really, I don't mind; after all," she said, and put a hand under Nua's chin and kept her looking up. "No child you bear to him can inherit anything of his, they'll just be part of the inheritance that the children I bear to him will inevitably own. So what if you amuse my husband, you can't marry, you can't be free, so it doesn't matter what he does with you. Understand slave?" Pharmakia asked in a voice as cool and calm as a summer breeze.

Nua bit her lip to keep from crying, she nodded quietly, giving the agreement that Pharmakia wanted, and then the woman left her alone. Nua didn't say anything to Aalon that day, or the next, or the next. And when he finally came to her quarters to make love to her, she said nothing about why she insisted on finishing him off some other way.

Things might have continued like that for some time, except that Aalon's father died suddenly a few weeks later, and Aalon became master of the entirety of the estate, and when they were holding the funeral, Pharmakia's father passed away quite suddenly as well. So while Aalon was mourning his father, Pharmakia returned to her family estate to handle the final affairs for her own parent in turn.

While she was away, Nua did all she could to comfort Aalon. While she was not especially fond of the hard old man, she knew quite well he could have been more cruel than he was, and he had always kept his word, even to his slaves, engendering a peculiar loyalty that comes about through predictability. But however he was seen by the slaves, to Aalon he was 'father' and he mourned the older man deeply.

So Nua comforted him in his own bed night after night, and it was during one such night, that words of love passed between the two again, and the dream she'd said they had to wake from, took away their senses as it roared back through holes in an aching heart.

Those words of love, stirred an ember of jealousy into a raging inferno of hatred, in the heart of a woman who stood just outside the door, after she'd returned at just the wrong moment to hear what, in her world, no human should ever say to an elven slave.


	10. Reveal

_...Residence of Dolorem..._

Dolorem was absolutely exhausted, he had barely slept that night out of fear for the wellbeing of their unexpected guest. But he got up in the morning the same as he always did, regardless of whether he wanted to. "Do what you have to do, like it or not." He said aloud as he cleaned himself up and prepared for the day. He walked out into the main living area where Elpida was already up and changing the bandages of the injured elf girl. "How is she?" He asked of his beloved as she knelt next to her patient inspecting the wounds.

"She's going to make it, Dolorem, it seems most of her injuries were superficial, and somebody had provided at least some treatment to her before she got away, that might be how she was able to find the strength to run." Elpida replied with much relief in her beautiful, if tired voice. She wiped her face, transferring a small quantity of blood from her hands to her cheek. Dolorem approached, his voice was only slightly less tired than hers, but he reached out with his gloved hand and wiped it away from her. He looked at her affectionately, "I'm going to work, I'll pick up a quality healing potion today and have it sent here for her."

"No, don't." Elpida shook her head vigorously, causing the lovely hair that hung low behind her back to bounce violently with the fervency of her head shaking.

"Why not?" He asked with surprise, "Her pain..."

"Can be managed for awhile," she said confidently. "You can't be seen as soft on me, and you don't want to reveal that she's here, she's going to live. The pain is unpleasant, but better that she live with it for now, go to work, pick it up on your way home, and we can end it then."

"That will be a long day for her though..." He said hesitantly.

She nodded. "My love, every day in Kami Miyako is a long day for an elf, we'll be fine, she'll wake up soon, I gave her some herbs to help her sleep, that will minimize the discomfort and pain, now please, go." She said and enfolded him into her arms, she kissed him lovingly, and then relaxed the embrace. Dolorem looked hesitant still, but he listened.

"If only you could have known her, you'd know there were two good humans in Kami Miyako." He said, briefly thinking of his deceased wife.

"If you loved her, she must have been, I will light a candle for her this morning, I promise." She whispered softly, and then he went away out the door.

It was several hours later when the girl woke up and stretched out where she lay on the improvised little treatment table. "Ouch." She groaned softly.

"Awake at last." Elpida said gently as she heard the noise of the patient waking and approached from out of the kitchen.

The girl nodded, she didn't look nearly as fearful as Elpida expected.

"What is your name?" Elpida asked gently as she moved to stand beside the girl, she reached down and clasped her hand.

"Tika." The girl said in a voice that was still clearly somewhat sore.

"You're safe here in the house of Dolorem, Tika." Elpida said with a reassuring smile.

Tika tried to sit up, only for Elpida to press her gently back down. "No, don't move again until it is time to change your bandages, my love will be home after work, he'll bring a healing potion to finish your recovery, then we can settle on a means to get you out of here." Elpida replied gently.

"Get... me out?" Tika asked.

"You found the only good man in Kami Miyako, or damn near." Elpida said happily.

"You call him 'your love' not 'master'?" Tika asked with disbelief.

Elpida lifted her head back, looking up to show that there was no collar, then her wrists to show that there were no chains, but more importantly, no tan lines indicating that she'd worn either for some time. The slave's tan was well known, so its absence was telling.

"So... it's true." Tika said quietly.

"What is?" Elpida asked curiously.

Tika shook her head, "I'll explain that later, something wonderful, but for now, what did you mean, 'get me out'?" She asked.

"My Dolorem may be the only good man in Kami Miyako, but he isn't the only good one in the Slane Theocracy. A small number of humans have long pitied our plight, and in the mountains to the west, beyond Feron, there are small settlements of elves who have escaped or been released or snuck out. Over a hundred and forty years ago, a wealthy figure established a sort of underground system, he bought land, carts, established rest points along a handful of places, and gathered a small number of like minded humans, and... well, they've been getting us out ever since. Never many but... a few here, a few there. My Dolorem, he's the current head of the organization." She said proudly.

"This... can't be true?" Tika asked in disbelief.

"It is, I've seen it for myself, 'mountain elves' if you can believe it, a small number, little more than a few villages worth, far beyond the reach of the Theocracy, they run mines, the ores are sold to the Theocracy, and in return those are used to occasionally buy one of us to set them free. They live in hiding, but they live, and feel no whips and wear no chains. They laugh, live, and have hope because they have choices. It is... for all its starkness, wonderful." Elpida said and clung tight to Tika's hand as if the pressure of her grip would convey the strength her conviction.

"Amazing." Tika said in a small voice. "And the Theocracy has no idea they're buying from free elves?"

Elpida shook her head, "The mine representatives are human, and the mines themselves are clear on the other side, so the merchants in Feron are clueless, our workers are productive because they're driven by a cause rather than by whips, and ores are sold on friendly terms to city officials, so none of the mining companies have tried to challenge my master's operations, though I suspect there is more to it and that is the sum of what I know." She said patiently and stroked Tika's cheek. "All you need to worry about for now, is knowing that you're safe and we will get you out, nobody will hurt you here, or ever again, I promise." She said confidently.

Tika smiled and closed her eyes, "It is more wonderful to hear that, than you yet know." She said cryptically and stretched out.

When Dolorem returned that afternoon, a healing potion was in his left hand, Elpida was waiting at the door, and Tika still lay where she had been when he left that morning.

"Give her this, I don't think she'll want to see me." Dolorem said gently as he pressed the potion into the hands of his lover.

"You're wrong, Dolorem, you're exactly who I want to see." Tika said with a bold confidence that was wholly unexpected.

His eyes went wide and he looked to Elpida with questioning eyes. She shook her head, indicating ignorance of her own.

"Gah, this really does still hurt though, do you mind?" Tika asked as she rolled onto her stomach so that the potion could be applied. Dolorem walked with Elpida next to where she lay, she didn't flinch from him, there were numerous ugly scars up and down her back, but if she minded them seeing what was there, she showed no sign of it, at a nod from the patient, Dolorem popped the cork and poured it over her body.

She sighed with relief. "Thank you." Tika said and sat up, he was surprised when she didn't use the honorific 'master' or show any sign of the fear that had seemed so obvious the night before. She kept her back to him and looked over her shoulder to Elpida, "Could I ask for a shirt and pants, I'm suddenly reminded that I'm pretty much naked here and I'm not entirely without my sense of decency."

Elpida blushed, the towel that had covered her had fallen to the floor, so she rushed quickly to her room and brought a shirt and pants to the unexpected guest. Tika dressed with a smile of gratitude and turned around.

"Thanks." She said casually, "So you're him." She said as she looked Dolorem up and down.

"Him who?" Dolorem asked with a sense of dread.

"The one they talked about." Tika said cryptically.

"That doesn't answer me." He said flatly.

"No, I suppose not, look can we sit down, I'd rather make this as clear as possible and I've been lying down all day so I'm still a bit uncomfortable, healing potion or not." Tika asked in a more accommodating voice.

"I suppose." He said, and gestured to the kitchen area, she went, and both he and a confused Elpida followed and sat around a table.

"I can see you're curious and anxious, so I'll explain, I was not abused, well, not last night, I endured those marks voluntarily in order to test you, to see what kind of man you really were, Elpida told me more this morning, and you should know... yours is no longer the only resistance to the evil of this nest of vipers." Tika said, clasping her fingers together and setting her hands on the table surface.

Dolorem and Elpida traded a look. Tika, seeing this, chose to explain. "In short, I'm an agent meant to test you. Not only do you pass, you pass with flying colors. Had you merely been a good man, Dolorem, I'd quietly invite you to speak to those heading this 'resistance' but as you've been running your own… nothing less than full disclosure is merited. Is it safe to speak here?" She asked.

"Very. I'm careful because of how I treat Elpida, nobody has a chance at eavesdropping on me here." Dolorem said confidently.

Tika gave a sage nod and proceeded to explain. "Cardinal Berenice, Cardinal Ginedine, and Cardinal Raymond are acting in earnest to end the horror of our existence within the Slane Theocracy." She said, bringing shocked expressions to the faces of her hosts.

"I know, it is hard to believe, but it is absolutely true, I've seen it for myself, they've been crafting a kind of pseudoslave estate for farming beyond the city, they run dummy organizations and have been planting and moving equipment and people there for a little while now, perhaps you've heard of those places?" She asked curiously.

Elpida shook her head, "I... don't get out much." She said bluntly.

"I have." Dolorem said seriously, "They're meant to create additional food supplies and help 'control' the slave population."

"Yes and no." Tika explained, "They will be raising food and manufacturing goods, but the 'help' with the slave population is to create a haven to protect us, you know the string of deaths that took place before?" She asked.

"Yes, a Black Justice agent within the city, Dominic oversaw putting them down." Dolorem said matter of factly.

"No." Tika said, "A Black Scripture agent, someone Raymond loved like a daughter, a... half elf, she was killing because of what the Theocracy was doing to her family, and she abandoned the Theocracy and joined the Sorcerer King, you might have heard of General Zetsumei?"

Dolorem's expression was one of anxious shock. "You can't be serious?"

"I am, I have it from Cardinal Berenice herself. Neia's organization had nothing to do with any of it. You've seen the glut on the slave markets lately, right?" Tika asked.

"I did." He replied hesitantly.

"That is because of Raymond, he's been quietly killing off the worst and largest owners, he killed Hodge." Tika said happily.

Dolorem looked stunned. "He did it? I'm on that case..." He leaned back in his chair, his arms fell limp at his sides at the revelation.

Tika looked at him, hard, "He did the world a favor, killing that scum."

Dolorem's face looked pale, "I saw some of the slaves there, I haven't been looking very hard for his killer." He said in a disgusted voice that brought satisfaction to Tika.

"Good, you can help us, simply put, the Sorcerer King and half the Cardinals are on the same side now, and we've been looking for allies, you came to our attention because of some carefully noted observations and some small investigations, but it seems we did not uncover nearly as much as there was, if what Elpida tells me is true. Is it?" Tika asked.

"Yes." Dolorem said, "For around a hundred forty years, a handful have done what we can for your people."

"That seems impossible..." Tika said, still awed by the news.

"It was not always easy, but it has been and is being done. I assume that with this knowledge, your leaders will wish to meet me personally." He said.

"Count on it." Tika replied, "Give me a collar and send me on my way, I'll inform them and they'll arrange for you to meet at one of their homes."

"I still have Elpida's thrown into a bin in the basement, I removed it as soon as I brought her within these walls, would have thrown it away, but..." He lost his words as he looked at her and reached out to touch her hand.

She shook her head, "Not until all of us can cast them away." She said.

A short while later, Tika was making her report to an utterly disbelieving trio of cardinals, and an attending Nua.

"Can it be true?" Cardinal Berenice asked doubtfully.

"It is hard to believe." Ginedine admitted.

"Still, she seemed certain and she claimed to have seen it herself." Tika said emphatically.

"How the hell does a simple city guard get that kind of position?" Cardinal Raymond asked uncertainly.

"I don't know, but he can answer that himself, any questions asked here are idle speculation without someone to answer them." Nua said, "You're all wasting time with disbelief and doubt and so on, normally I'm one for caution, and would probably have more of it if it weren't for the clear existence of the places she saw. Nobody would go that far just to dangle false hope to one girl, and no mere city guard would have the means even if he wanted to. There is more at play here and we will not find answers in this room." She said emphatically as she crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.

"She's right." Raymond said, "We're just wasting time speculating, we need to talk to him. Tika, arrange for him to come to my home tomorrow, in the evening after his work day is done."

"With pleasure." She said.

...Kami Miyako...145 Years Earlier...

Pharmakia's absence had let Nua pretend again, it had let 'both' of them pretend, but when she returned, it was a colder woman than before. Nua did her best to avoid her, but she seemed to take special care to seek the elf girl out and berate her, culminating in a blow to the face in the great hall of the estate that sent the elf girl crashing to the ground and knocking over a table and several expensive glasses, which of course shattered on the hard floor. "Stupid slave!" She shrieked in outrage.

Aalon rushed to the sound of commotion and saw Nua sprawled out on the floor, holding the side of her face and looking desperately around for help that she did not see until she saw him rushing down the long steps.

"What is the meaning of this chaos?!" He asked, positioning himself carefully between Nua and Pharmakia.

"Your slave disrespected me, when I disciplined her, she broke those glasses." Pharmakia said in outrage as she pointed to the mess behind her.

Aalon felt a knot in his stomach, as mistress of the house, her word was absolutely beyond question, if she said a slave flew around the room by the power of his own farts, and the slave disputed it, the mistress was to be believed and the slave punished for lying. He knew damn well that Nua would never make such a misstep, but if he supported the slave over his wife... His gaze went very calm, and Pharmakia walked away before he could say anything. For a moment he thought she realized she'd gone overboard, and he knelt and held a hand out to Nua. She took it gratefully and let him help her up, still holding the side of her face.

"Are you alright?" He asked her. She nodded mutely as he moved her wrist away to see the place that had been struck. "I'll talk to her, I don't know what has her so riled up but..." He started to say, only to look down at the sudden sound of a dull thud. A whip was at his feet.

He looked up and Pharmakia was standing there looking at him expectantly. "Punish her." She said.

"What?" Aalon asked in disbelief.

"You heard me, husband. This slave has offended your wife, you have to discipline her." Pharmakia said in a furious voice.

Aalon looked down at it in horror and then looked at Nua, she started to shake. "Mistress, please... I..." Nua began, only to wilt under the hateful gaze. "You have disrespected me, my marriage, my name, you will be punished for it, either he picks it up and does his duty, or I will have an overseer do it."

Aalon swallowed, Nua looked down at it, then nodded in such a slight gesture that Pharmakia could not see it, her master picked up the lash, and Nua put her hands to the nearest bare part of the wall after baring her back.

Pharmakia stood to one side and watched as it happened, she made Nua count them, though Aalon was clearly being as gentle as he could, she felt the pain all the more sharply because he held it. After ten blows, he stopped and Nua let herself sink to the floor and forced herself to choke back what cries she could. That was when Pharmakia came close and knelt next to her. "You dared to love my husband, you dared steal his love from me and claim it for yourself? You think this is over now? It isn't, it isn't by a bow shot." She then got up and walked away, snatching the whip from Aalon contemptibly as she did so. "Get that thing somewhere out of my sight already." She said.

Aalon was quiet as death as he went and brought two slaves to help carry Nua to her workspace. When they were alone, he couldn't meet her eyes as he applied a potion to her back.

The next day, Nua watched with trepidation from behind a corner as Pharmakia left the house and got into a waiting carriage.

Aalon touched her shoulder from behind, she jumped at looked at him with a momentary expression of fear. "Come with me, Nua." Aalon said to her, "Trust me, everything will be fine, you know we have to put on a pretense in public at least."

It was only a handful of hours later that a well dressed elf slave was taking her to a cart after she descended from the block, "I hope you're good at farm work. Because it will be painful if you are not." The house slave said to her.

"Aalon... Aalon how could you..." She whispered under her breath. _'Damn you... damn you all, I'll never be fooled by your games again.'_ She thought as she clenched a little fist and looked down at the floor of the cart while she was locked into place with the others that had been purchased.

**AN: Not sure if you'll see this, but 'con crit' that is EXACTLY the kind of constructive criticism authors long for. Thank you for taking the time to write that out. A little of it, I didn't quite grasp, and a little of it I disagreed with (I've seen the content of AO3, I don't find either its readers or writers to be significantly different from those of FFN. And the Overlord content is fairly scarce, so views can't really be compared) but all in all, amazing critique and it is much appreciated.**


	11. Illumination

Blood in the Streets

Written by: AtheistBasementDragon

Edited by: The Usual Gang of Drunken Perverted Idiots

Chapter 11:

...Kami Miyako...Raymond's Home...the Following Day...

"Come in, Dolorem." Raymond said politely, and he gestured to the ante chamber. "I'll have some tea made, and I can tell you what we need and how you can help."

"Thank you," he said. "Your agent was forthcoming, and I'm eager to do my part."

It was his voice that did it. Nua froze at the top of the stairs, the face she could dismiss, over two centuries you see a lot of familiar faces on unfamiliar people.

But she could never forget his voice, not in a thousand years.

Her grip on the bannister tightened and she clenched her teeth enough to hurt her jaw.

Before she could move, he saw her and froze in equal disbelief.

She ran. Months ago, a few days ago, it might have been 'away' from him as easily as towards him. Now? Now there was only one choice. She ran at him screaming her hatred like a banshee, her little feet creating thunder on the stairs as she rushed down until she could launch herself at him with her fingers outstretched to claw out his eyes.

Only her own tears got in the way of proper aim, but she made up for it with vigorous effort. Raymond, momentarily overcome with surprise, was delayed in his response.

Dolorem didn't even try to stop her.

"Nua has lost her mind! Someone assist me with her!" Raymond called out as he pulled her back, struggling to manage 'without' hurting her.

She struggled to pull away from him, snarling and howling out over a century of pent up hatred. The echo of her screeching animosity resounded throughout the room.

Two elves rushed and took her arms and pinned them to her sides, allowing Raymond to go in front of her.

"Nua, what is the meaning of this?" He asked, aghast.

Nua glared past Raymond in hatred, calming herself by force of will, she greeted spitefully, "Hello, Aalon."

Raymond kept his face very neutral, he knew that name. But only as someone who had once owned Nua, and she'd been deeply pained by the memory.

This was now very dangerous, if this man could not be trusted, everything was at risk.

"Nua... how do you know him?" Raymond asked gravely.

"I owned her, a long time ago, and I loved her, and I betrayed her." Dolorem said with quiet shame in his voice as he answered the question for her.

"You sold me. Just say it, you sold me for cheap and got rid of me! I saved your life, I gave... GAVE myself to you! I loved you! And you threw me away for thirty pieces of silver and didn't even look back when they DRAGGED me up to the block and stripped me in front of the crowd again! Now you show up here in front of me!" Nua shrieked and struggled in the grip of the shocked elves who restrained her.

"Say it! Say what you did to me you unimaginable bastard..." Nua calmed her violent rage, but fell quiet when Aalon repeated what she'd said, almost verbatim. "Would you like to know how much I sold for?" She snarled the question at him.

The other elves in the house, drawn by the shouting and screaming, were now staring daggers at the blank faced Dolorem.

He took a deep breath, "I have a lot to answer for, and... this probably isn't the best place to do it. Where can we talk?" He asked Raymond as calmly as he could as he kept his eyes on Nua.

"My office would be best." Raymond said, looking around at the angry faces.

"Up the stairs, follow me." The Cardinal of Earth added.

"This I have 'got' to hear." Nua demanded, glaring at Aalon with twitching fingers, eager to wrap them around his throat.

"That is probably best." Raymond replied, and inclined his head towards the steps, gesturing for her to come as well.

Minutes later, Nua seated herself in a chair and stared at her former owner, her former lover, the second man to play the game with her, and the eyes that were once alight with adoration for him, were now instead filled with contempt and revulsion. She felt the urge to wash his touch away from her, even after all these years.

"First question," She asked, without waiting for Raymond to begin, "how the hell are you even alive? Humans who live a hundred years do exist, maybe even a little more, but it has been over one hundred and forty and you don't look a day over thirty." She asked demandingly.

"One hundred and forty five." Aalon corrected her. "And I survived because of this." He said, and removed a ring, as soon as it came off, blood red eyes met hers and met Raymond's. "A simple item capable of a minor illusion that changes my eye color, as long as I live an ordinary life and don't feed on anyone, I can blend right in." He added, then looked to Raymond, "I trust working with a vampire will not be a problem?" He asked, but his voice said he did not trust that it wouldn't be a problem, in fact he fully expected that it would.

Raymond swallowed hard and folded his hands in front of him on the desk, he looked down at his careworn hands, he felt every inch his more than forty years, and a few other people's forty years besides. "Given the nature of things as they've developed, I suppose I have to be, at the very least I can say I don't think you'll be turning me over to any of the Agante now." He looked into the blood red eyes of the man he had known as Dolorem. "However a much bigger problem is how you relate to Nua." He said with equal parts suspicion and unhappiness.

She smiled, pleased to hear that how she felt actually mattered. "So explain yourself." He added, "And by the way, please do not forget I 'am' a former Black Scripture, I may not be in my top form any longer, but I think I can still handle one vampire if I have to."

"I understand." Dolorem said. "Well for starters, my real name is not 'Dolorem' that is just the name I've been going by for the last twenty years or so. I've changed my identity every now and again to keep people from being suspicious. The name I was given at birth was, as Nua here said, 'Aalon'. I did own her, she did save my life, and I did love her."

"No!" Nua shouted, clenching her fists tight. "You don't get to say that! You don't! You sold me away like I was nothing!" Nua began to break down into tears of rage, "you hit me over that bitch's lie, and you knew she was lying!"

"Perhaps you're right." Aalon said resignedly. "I don't have the right to say that anymore. But at the very least let me tell you what happened, you deserve to know that much."

Raymond and Nua both remained quiet, inviting him to proceed.

"The last night we were together, Pharmakia was outside the door, she confronted me the next day, while you were in your work space. She didn't care that you loved me, but she very much cared that I... felt that way about you." He said, carefully avoiding the 'L' word again.

"We fought after... after the incident with you, to me, our marriage was a business arrangement, I didn't expect to love her, but... I guess she felt the opposite. She felt I was supposed to love her, and I didn't. The day after the... incident..." He was saying but paused as Nua shook her head violently.

"Say what you did! Say it! Don't give it some banal name like 'the incident' because I never forgot what it really was!" She shouted furiously through tear clouded eyes.

"The day after I beat you at her behest." He said, only to stop as she still shook her head.

"Drop those last three words, I don't care that they're true, you still made the choice to do it, take responsibility for your choices!" She spat at him.

"The day after I whipped you." He said in a broken-hearted voice.

Then he resumed, "I took you where I did, to... to sell you, because she said she was going out of the house for a little while, and when she got back, if you weren't gone, she'd have with her the means to make sure the only thing you longed for was death." Aalon couldn't meet Nua's eyes, but he didn't need to, for her to get a very good idea of what he meant.

"I had to get rid of you, but in some way that would satisfy her anger, sure maybe I could have protected you that time, but I couldn't be around every hour!" His eyes were wild with long held back thoughts and emotions, he leaned forward, his blood red eyes transfixed to to hers, "Sooner or later, she'd get to you, I couldn't let that happen, and if I'd just given you away, or hidden you, or even released you beyond the walls, she'd have found you! You were the one I said I loved! In her eyes, as long as you lived and could come back..." He lowered his face into his hands, "I'm sorry! I'm so goddamn sorry!" Aalon said in a choked out voice. "I took you there and sold you so that I could give her the bill of sale and the coins, and then she'd be satisfied, it would be good enough. I charged as little as I did so that you'd not be sold off to a brothel, but that was all I could manage..." His words petered out.

"After you were gone, after I handed her the coins, she had them pierced and wore them like a necklace, as a warning or a trophy, I never knew." He said bitterly, but then he reached into his pocket and took them out and cast them to Nua's feet. "I kept them with me, to give back to you if I ever saw you again." He said, and she stared mutely down at the money that had been traded for her and turned into some evil woman's crude decorative jewelry.

"You could have just killed me." She said as she looked down at the coins in disgust, unwilling to pick them up as if they were poisoned. "If you'd told me what was going to happen, at least then I wouldn't have spent the next hundred and forty some years hating you. I could have easily made something that would have let me slip away in peace, you could have held my hand and I'd have died in the happiest days of my life..." Nua said with a bitter, soft voice.

"I couldn't have killed you." He said with a shake of his head. "Not you."

"Maybe not, Aalon, but I spent a lot of time wishing you had. Then I wouldn't have lived long enough to find out that I went up on that block with your child inside me." She said with renewed hatred in her voice.

Aalon went ghostly white. "What?" he asked in a small voice.

She looked at him with a twisted mask of pain, "A few weeks after my next sale, I started feeling sick, it didn't take long to find out why. What do you care anyway?! Annoyed you lost more on the sale?!" She spat out at him.

"I... you..." Aalon started to stammer out.

"Did you forget what can happen between a male and a female? I guess on our last night, you were a little too enthusiastic." She cut him off. "Well don't worry about that, the people who bought me didn't, I ended up doing mostly farm labor, and because I'd have been a burden in 'that condition' they made me drink a tea that... how did they put it... 'removed the 'elf get' from concern'." She didn't avert her gaze.

He didn't meet hers. "I didn't know."

"Would it have mattered?" She asked coldly. "You wouldn't have been the first Theocracy scum to sell their own child when it dropped from an elf."

He didn't answer. The ashen look on his face was not the comfort to her she hoped it would be.

"Go on then, tell me more about the wonderful life of the master I dared love?" She seethed in a deeply sarcastic, pitiless voice.

He hesitated.

"Go on, you want me to know what happened, I'm not going to guess, so tell me." She said in a falsely encouraging tone.

"After I got back, I gave her the coins and the sale slip, and her anger calmed, but things took a turn. After the deaths of both our fathers and... losing you, my heart just wasn't in anything. I knew I couldn't continue as I had, but I didn't know what to do." He said weakly.

She snorted dismissively.

"I took to drinking, and Pharmakia took over more and more as I fell deeper into despair. Then, well, I started trying to find you, when I thought it was safe, that nobody would notice. I found out you'd been sold out of the city, so I contrived reasons to travel away from my home." Aalon pointed to the map on the wall, "I went to most of those places looking for you, no such luck, obviously."

"Then I realized, if I ever wanted to find you, to see you again, I had to have a lifespan that made it possible. So I developed a 'gambling problem' or so I told my wife, and my 'drinking' started to get worse. The truth was I did neither, I set the money aside in a hidden place while I made plans. I hid quite a bit, saying I'd lost it. Then I used it to find a vampire, no easy task in the Slane Theocracy. But I finally found one, and through an intermediary, I arranged to be turned." He managed to meet her face as he spoke, but his hands shook terribly.

"This gave me the lifespan to hopefully find you someday. It was the day after I got back from that journey that I found out why our fathers died. Pharmakia was a poisoner. I know this, because she poisoned me. As an undead vampire, I was immune, but I still felt the poison after she fed me. However, it was harmless and, well... nobody plays dead like the undead. So I faked it, I pretended to collapse, managed a few 'last words' where she confessed what she'd done, and then I pretended to die. She put on a good show of distress, and I was buried."

Raymond's brow furrowed, he began to see where this was going.

"While I waited in the grave, I realized what a grand opportunity I had been presented with. I was completely free, all that took around a year or two after you were lost, and even after paying the vampire, I had a considerable sum set aside. I could start to make things right, if not for you who I had lost, then for all elf slaves." A savage smile came over his face that exposed his fangs.

"When I was interred, I waited until nightfall, escaped, broke into my former home, and I killed her. I killed Pharmakia, and burned my family estate." He held up his hand, and allowed the vampire claws to come out. "The look on her face has comforted me over the passing years, when she realized I was 'sort of' alive. I cut her wrist so that it appeared she ended her own life, and held her fast while she could only watch as the life slipped out of the veins I had opened up. She begged, I told her you had too, and that if I could bear your pleas, when I loved you, I could bear hers, who I now despised. When she was finally dead, I ripped the necklace she'd made of those coins from off her neck and pocketed it. I took a few things with me, things I knew were valuable but which would not be traced to my estate. It was enough to start life over again and begin with my new plans, and then I disappeared." He looked at them both, and saw that understanding had started to dawn on Nua's face as well.

"I went by Oren for awhile, then Dorin, then Dale, and so on. I married a few times, even, if you want the truth, loved one or two. But... I never forgot my real purpose." He said and forced himself to look at Nua.

"Real purpose?" She asked him, if he detected her indifference to how he clearly felt, he didn't show it, because he went on.

"Within a few months I had purchased land on the other side of the mountain west of Feron. With my vampire strength,tireless body and a lot of time I was able to quickly tunnel my way to a vein of iron, then I started buying slaves and established a mountain community around the mine. I then started my little 'organization'."

"How did you make certain you weren't betrayed?" Raymond asked with concern.

"Simple. To be on the safe side, I hired some adventurers to kill the vampire who turned me, so I could never be controlled, then I adopted and raised a handful of orphans to revile the institution that held my... the elf I loved, in bondage. When they came of age, I offered them a chance to help me with my quest, and then turned them as well. They share my ideals and cannot break loyalty even if they wished to." He said, and where Raymond looked to him with an almost confused, impressed, and horrified expression, Nua actually looked impressed and nothing else.

"That is... well, you were never stupid, Aalon." She said. "So you essentially manipulated and enslaved humans, and turned them into vampires, to save elves from slavery? I may hate you for the rest of our lives, but that is, I must admit, very clever."

"I don't know how I feel about this." Raymond said as he ran his hand through his graying hair.

"I really don't care, I've kept it going for more than three of your lifetimes and I've gotten many out over the years. You're late to the game Cardinal, you don't get to complain about the rules now." Aalon said firmly.

He then turned to Nua. "All that though, was done with the quiet hope I held of finding you again. I know that what I did was terrible, I don't expect you to forgive me, I don't expect you to love me again as I have you for all these years, that only happens in badly written children's stories. But all I wanted was to tell you the truth, why I did it, and without being bound to any other rules or conventions... well, I thought I might be able to find some way to set you free. I don't have the wealth of my youth. Given what happened, well it passed into the hands of a brother, what was left of it all, if it helps, everybody is dead now. Pharmakia's family, my brothers, their children, and the estates were parcelled off long ago. Nothing remains of the days I loved you, but you and I." He said sadly as he started to wring his hands.

"That it? That's everything?" She asked as she reached down and took up the necklace of coins.

He nodded, mute.

"That's supposed to make up for selling off the slave you impregnated after telling her you love her, is that supposed to make up for the welcome lashing I got at the farm I went to until I made my way back into a house after demonstrating my other skills? Is that supposed to make up for the sickness, the misery, the betrayal of walking away while I called for you as they stripped me? Huh, is it?! Is it, you bastard?!" She asked in a shrill and hate filled voice as she got more and more furious all over again.

"No, nothing can. I won't even pretend to have a hope of making anything up to you. All I can do is tell you that, while I still have strength in my hands, I'll help in this cause." Aalon replied sadly. "I'm here because I passed a kind of... moral test, and whether you were here or not, that wouldn't change. Now my nature is revealed, and you've both got me over a barrel here. The Slane Theocracy is not kind to vampires, and I've been living in this country for quite awhile, they'd kill me with extreme prejudice. Maybe I could save myself by turning you in, and maybe you could do the same, but the fact that I'm here now, means we're all on the same side." Aalon said reasonably.

"Same side!" Nua asked in shock, "That man over there is a Cardinal of this country and took a lash to the face with a whip, to help a slave and punish the abuser, that is why I trust him. You didn't even take a tongue lashing from your human wife. Raymond may make some really dumb decisions, but he's not a coward. Not like you, who abandoned me, and... what might have been. How can I trust you now, after everything?!" She demanded in outrage.

"I don't know." Aalon said unhappily, "All that you say is true, so I guess I'll just have to find a way somehow, what else can I do, but that?" He asked rhetorically, and the room went quiet for quite some time.

She threw the coins back to him, "You can start by melting those down, I want them turned into a knife." She said sharply.

Raymond and Aalon were stunned in silence at Nua's sharp demand.

**AN: I know, two chapters in a row, I spoil you. :) But as fandoms go, you're worth it. Thank you to those who have chosen to support my original work. After a few days, I'm at 1% of my subscriber goal to become a full time writer. Given a choice, I'd write stories for people basically forever. :) Hell I'd do it for free if I didn't have bills to pay.**


	12. Gateways and Solutions

Blood in the Streets

Written by: AtheistBasementDragon

Edited by: The Usual Gang of Drunken Perverted Idiots

Chapter 12: Gateways and Solutions

...Raymond's Office...

Nua's demand was nothing if not unusual, but her face was blank, even the look of hate was gone. But Aalon did not question it, he simply took the necklace of her betrayal and put it into his pocket. "Fine." He said, "They belong to you, I'll have done with them as you wish."

She barely acknowledged what he'd said. "I drew comfort from the knowledge that I'd at least outlived you. Now that is gone too." Her lips pursed tight on her face, her expression barely altered more than it took for the words to come out. "You betrayed me, and whether you knew it or not, you betrayed your... our... child. What would you have done differently, if you had known of it? Anything? Anything?" She demanded coldly, the heat of her former wrath that had driven her to attack him in a fit of madness had gone cold as ice.

He looked down. "Look at me, Aalon. What is it with you humans and looking away from things you don't want to face? We never got that choice, you don't either, now look at me and tell me what you would have done differently?" She said in a tone of contempt. Nua's hands drifted unconsciously to her belly as the memory of what was taken from her came roaring back.

"Tell me." She said as a hint of emotion slipped out in her voice, the mask started to crack and her eyes clouded over. "I'd have endured Pharmakia's hate, I'd have endured her worst punishments, I'd have suffered any of it for you. I could have lived with the idle dictates of the law, even knowing that our child would have been your property, I know I could have. Because back then, I would have believed that you'd have loved him anyway."

"Him?" Aalon asked in barely a whisper.

Nua nodded, "I'd managed to hide my state for at least a little while, though what I thought I was going to accomplish, to this day I still don't know. But as I said, after a few weeks someone worked it out and reported it, but some of the other slaves helped me bury the... aftermath. You'd have had a son, I saw that for myself."

Aalon's face fell to utter ruin as it turned downward and he hid it in his hands. "I didn't know. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He repeated over and over as the revelation of the consequences of his choices beat him like a hammer.

"I spent all this time, over a hundred and forty years looking for you in the hopes of begging for your forgiveness, and my sins were even worse than I knew..." There was silence in the room, Nua yanked her hands away from where she'd held them over herself, as if to deny what she felt.

"Yes, they were." She said as she sucked in a deep breath.

"I just didn't want her to hurt you and I couldn't have stopped her." He said half-heartedly.

"You killed her later, why didn't you kill her then?" Nua asked coldly, her hatred for Pharmakia undiminished in the passing of years, given her vindictive tone. "You killed her presumably out of some kind of revenge, you couldn't kill her to protect me? You were my only happiness, my only safety, why didn't you protect me, us, when we needed you most?" She asked, her voice drifting slowly to a whimper and again unconsciously, her hands drifted over her belly.

"If I could go back in time and do that, I would." He said in a desperate voice as he moved his hands from his face and met her gaze again, "I've spent all the years since killing that bitch, trying to make things right, by finding you and by helping all those like you that I could. I made a terrible decision, and you paid a worse price for it than I even knew. But I've never been weak since, I swear it." He said fervently, leaning forward towards her from where he sat, as if desperate for her to believe him.

"You swore you loved me, and look where that saw me to?" Nua said bitterly.

She looked over to Raymond, "Are we sure this community even exists? If he could do what he's done to me, I'm not sure we can believe anything about him? Maybe the place does exist, but just as a profit engine and a blood farm for him?" She yanked her hands away again and clenched her fingers into fists.

"Elpida has seen it for herself." Aalon interjected with a hint of pride in his voice, "Surely you'll at least believe another elf, if not me?" He asked hopefully.

That made Nua's tongue go still for a moment. "I believe what I see. I saw you betray us." She said icily again, and then gestured to Raymond, "I saw him almost die for us. Though... I will admit I didn't believe the evidence around me here in his estate at the time, everything I see of him tells me that whatever he was, he's helping us now." Her finger held firmly at Raymond until she finished, and then fell away, but her eyes stayed fixed on Aalon.

"However, the last I saw of you was the back of your head. I searched the crowd and called your name, I was such a pitiful sight that I even saw empathy on the faces of monsters. But I did not see you anywhere. So my last memory of us was you casting me aside. Whatever you 'thought' you were doing, that 'is' what you did. I won't believe you're any different until I see it for myself." Nua's voice regained its calm and she folded her hands in her lap, the only contradiction to that calm was a tension in her fingers as they interlocked and pressed tight against one another.

Any further conversation was abruptly cut off by the appearance of a swirling hole in the air, and out of it stepped an impeccably dressed older gentleman. He had white hair and a stern, straight back that suited an equally stern expression on a chiseled face that might as well have been carved out of marble.

"My master can assist with this." He said with quiet dignity as he bowed with the utmost formal courtesy.

Aalon's mouth formed an O shape at the surprise, but while Raymond and Nua showed initial surprise, they recovered quickly.

"Good day to you all. My name is Sebas Tian. My master has heard your request, and we will deal with the problem of the astrologer, and we will provide the means by which your 'work' will continue, Cardinal Raymond. From this point forward, you have one task, ensure the facilities that you and your colleagues establish are run smoothly and securely. Produce what you need, and see it done." It was then that the next person appeared, someone Raymond had seen once before. A beautiful, buxom, blonde female dressed as a maid, stepped out of the gate behind the butler and curtseyed daintily.

"Lady Solution, will be tending to the killings, she will serve as our eyes and our shield over this place, and she will see to the elimination of your targets."

"What of my... comrades?" Raymond asked, "Cardinals Ginedine and Berenice, I mean?"

Sebas frowned. "Lord Ainz was... displeased by their voting record. At the request of General Zesshi Zetsumei, Cardinal Berenice and yourself are both to be protected, albeit somewhat reluctantly in her case. The same is not extended to Cardinal Ginedine."

Before the cardinal could ask, a knock at the door interrupted the talk.

"Enter." Raymond said as the gate faded to nothing, and the door opened to reveal one of the few human servants within the house.

"My Lord, Cardinals Ginedine and Berenice have arrived." He said, "Shall I send them up?"

"Yes, immediately, thank you." Raymond said politely.

Sebas's face was crafted to look dignified and neutral, yet at the manner in which Raymond conducted himself, he saw a pale echo of the lord he served, solicitous of his servants, polite, and commanding. A calm settled over him as he reflected confidently of Raymond, 'He has a chance.'

When Ginedine and Berenice entered, they were surprised to find 'additional' visitors as they claimed their seats. But when Sebas announced that he and 'Solution' were from Nazarick, if they had any objections, they kept those to themselves. Sebas relayed to them what he'd said to Raymond, and Raymond caught them up in turn on the explanation for the man now recognized as 'Aalon'.

"Now, you want to see the place Aalon spoke of?" Sebas asked intently.

"Before we go... if what I understand is right, you knew what was being said here. How?" Berenice asked, her face was pale white still with the understanding that she was 'safe' while Ginedine next to her was not.

Aalon himself chimed in, "And also, how do you know where it is?"

Sebas did not try to keep the pride from his voice, and Solution's smile went inhumanly wide, "My master is incomprehensibly thorough, he has a more accurate map of your nation, than your nation does of itself, and has since years before the war. While the discovery of the elf village and its trade with the Theocracy was a curiosity, it was not relevant until now, or so I assume since my master never mentioned it. However, I am quite sure that he took that into account with the timing of this meeting. As to the former question, this place is monitored. Nothing escapes my master's eye."

Expressions of awe swept the room, while in Nazarick, Albedo and Demiurge smiled with equal pride at one another as they stood at either side behind their lord while the mirror revealed the fruits of the meeting with the cardinals. 'I really should actually read more of these reports they send me.' Ainz thought ruefully, 'Then I might know what Sebas is talking about, I never read that!'

"As expected of our lord, to plan in such fine detail that these little things could be brought to light at just the right time." Albedo said with a heady and lustful sigh.

Demiurge pushed his pince-nez glasses up the length of his nose again, "It was a true master stroke. They know now that they dance in the palm of your hand."

Ainz covered his utter loss for words with a dramatic laugh, feeling a little bit too much like Pandora's Actor as he did so.

Within Raymond's office, a gate reopened. Sebas stepped aside and with a polite half bow, he raised his arm and gestured to it, "If you will step through here, you will see what Aalon has been referring to, and what he has done for the last hundred and forty years."

Nua was the first to stand, she walked to the front of the gate and then looked back over at her former lover, he gave a slight nod, but she tensed and flinched at his look, before hate filled her eyes again and she looked over to Raymond instead, who was already standing up. He nodded as well and was walking to where she was. She stepped through the gate with confidence, and did not see the anguished expression on Aalon's face behind her.

One by one they passed through, followed at last by Sebas. Solution alone remained behind, she hummed a little tune and went over to Raymond's desk, she sat down and propped her feet up on the desk, with a smug expression apparent on her face. "I'm going to have a lot of fun with this assignment." She said to the empty office.

On the opposite end of the gate, they found a mountain. The trio of Cardinals looked up at the peak and found... they weren't nearly as far from the top as they were expecting to be when they went within. Aalon seemed to have recovered a sense of himself as he stepped in front of the group and held his arms out wide. "Welcome! Welcome to Fespes!" He said happily, "Where the only free elves in the world lived for the last hundred and forty years!"

"I see only a mountain." Raymond remarked as he looked at the enormous rising rock peak, arching his eyebrow.

"Look behind you." Aalon said with amusement, and the lot of them turned around. Great high walls stood made of thick trees sharpened to points.

"Looks like a prison." Nua commented with a grim voice. "If this is some trick... again, like the last lie you told me with such a gentle voice...

I will kill you this time." She said threateningly as she drew close to him.

Aalon answered by pointing to the wall, "Look up there if you don't believe me." He said, she followed his direction and her eyes went wide with shock. There was an elf atop the tower waving to them, it was less that he was an elf, and more that he was an elf in full kit with a very good looking bow and an excellent helmet. Aalon waved back at him and he started to walk through the knot of his guests to approach the gate.

"The walls are there to keep prying eyes out, not keep them in. You may start to feel tired soon if you're not used to these elevations, but please think nothing of it, seems to happen to people not used to these conditions." Aalon said as he looked back over his shoulder, they followed along behind him with a little trepidation.

The gate was heavy thick wooden logs lashed tight together with ropes that had been dipped in a thick sap that hardened around it so that they could not easily be cut. Raymond appraised it from a critical, professional perspective, a dedicated force could get in easily enough, but to a city militia, a band of raiders, this was not easy prey.

"Open up! These are friendlies!" Aalon shouted.

"Open the gate and prepare some meals!" The elf said without hesitation, "Ravious is back, and he has guests!"

"If that's a slave, I'll eat my robes." Ginedine said boldly.

Berenice shook her head, "Not a chance, no slave sounds that happy or that confident."

The gate slowly creaked open, and as it did so Aalon spoke up, "No, as I said, there are no slaves in Fespes."

Nua felt his eyes on 'her' as he said that, but she didn't look his way, instead she distracted herself as she looked around.

Finally she spoke, "Why do they call you 'Ravious', is that one of your former names?"

He nodded, "It is, I went by it when I opened up my 'official' business, the elf up there on the wall is named Yulo, he was one of the first ones I bought, he's been with me ever since, tending business here and running security for me."

As he finished speaking, a young looking woman came up out of almost nowhere and embraced him. "Welcome back, father!" She said, Nua kept her face carefully neutral, but a vindictive anger welled up as he looked at the human who embraced Aalon. That anger turned a bit when Nua saw her eyes, blood red.

"Vampire." Nua said as the realization hit home.

Aalon embraced the girl and kissed her forehead. "Yes, Tula was one of the first children I adopted, and the first to be turned, she handles most of the operations here, and she runs Fespes Higher, Fespes Lower, Fespes West and Fespes East."

"This is... a lot to take in." Raymond said as he looked around, elves were moving about, busy with various tasks, some humans were busy doing things as well, but if anyone was working as an overseer, it wasn't evident.

Aalon's face changed as a small confident smile formed, one mimicked by Tula. "Our little community has a number of small outposts that follow the veins of the mountain. A few of my children, yes all vampires, all people I turned, have run this for all this time, expanding gradually as we've needed by buying other elves at market. It hasn't been a perfect solution, but I would say we've got about nine thousand elves scattered about the western edge of the mountains checking ore veins, harvesting wood, planting crops."

"Nine thousand..." Nua said in disbelief, "so many...?"

"Yes." Tula said proudly, "Our father has been thorough, learning everything he could, but..." She glanced at him, "Are you going to show them? Can they be trusted?" She asked.

Aalon looked at the trio of cardinals whose faces were still frozen, then it drifted to that of Sebas, who nodded his approval, and finally to Nua, who folded her arms and just stared at him, a mix of emotions warring on her face.

"Yes, we'll show them." He said, nodding. Tula grinned and said eagerly, "This way." She practically skipped, Aalon followed steadily behind them, and the rest fell in as well.

She led them to a single stone building that stood out amongst the wooden construction. As they walked, Aalon spoke. "I've always known that this way was at best a temporary measure, either the mine would run dry, or worse, we'd be discovered, so we've been making preparations for more."

"More?" Ginedine asked uncomfortably.

"No, much more." Tula corrected as she opened the door and revealed a room filled with weapons and armor.

"This floor has enough for a company, but we have lots more down below." Tula said with a malicious smile and predatory eyes. "Mining makes for strong people, the elevation of the mountain makes for strong people, our hate for your kind," she gestured to the now very uncomfortable cardinals, "has made for very strong people. What isn't sold to Feron is turned into equipment, over the years to come..." Aalon touched her shoulder, giving her pause.

"Let me say it." He said with a fang baring grin.

She stepped out of the way demurely and waved him on.

"We would have saved two or three times as many, our success has grown, it would have been easy to set up a few more positions similar to these, nobody comes out this far, not when they can tunnel from the other side, so we could grow without the Theocracy ever knowing. With the unused wealth I could hire mercenaries, I could have bought the aid of the Dark Elves of the north, perhaps bribed the Demihumans beyond. My plan was, in two hundred years, to launch a war of extermination on the entirety of the Slane Theocracy, relying on the liberation of slaves as reinforcements as we captured Theocracy positions. Eventually I was going to burn Kami Miyako to ashes. Backed by an army of freed elves with centuries of training behind them, a united Dark Elf and Demihuman alliance, I could shatter the tree of evil so that no more of its poisoned fruit would ever spring forth again." Aalon said with such tranquility that one would have thought he was critiquing a garden's growing flowers.

The three cardinals looked at one another in absolute horror, eyes wide with shock as they imagined the scenario. A hundred thousand demihumans going east instead of west, a hundred thousand mounted dark elves riding through their lands, a vampire-led oligarchy with around thirty thousand free elves with centuries of combat and preparation training pouring over the mountains to a people wholly unprepared for it. The doom of their nation stood inches away in front of them, and none of them could move.

Aalon shrugged, "Then the Sorcerer King showed up, and of course, this war began, I've been learning things." He said as he turned his eye to Sebas, "Your master is closer to my beliefs than anyone I've seen in my entire life, I was going to approach one of his agents sooner or later anyway, looks like you found me first."

Sebas nodded, "That is to be expected of my matchless master."

Nua looked at Aalon in silence, what she was thinking, he could not tell, her face was neutral.

"Every time we brought somebody in, I... asked if they'd seen you." Aalon said, stepping one pace closer to Nua, she didn't move away, but she didn't welcome the step either. His voice was cracked to the breaking point. "I was going to burn down the entire country to find you, if that was what it took."

"To have me back?" She asked flatly. It was a shock when he shook his head.

"No, I can never have you again, I know that, even if you did forgive me, I will never forgive myself. Just to get you out of what I thrust you into. I thought perhaps burning down the country and all but wiping out the viper's nest of a nation might be a start to making things up to you."

"It would be." Nua said quietly.

"Cardinals," Sebas said from behind them, "it would appear that my master's invasion has saved humanity, or do you foresee recovering from such a massive surprise invasion?"

There were three simultaneous swallows and three shaking heads. "Even a victory would be a disaster." Raymond said grimly. He thought about the expression of absolute hatred on Nua's face, not all the saved elves held such thoughts, but many he was sure, absolutely did. As his imagination conjured the scenario, he wondered with terrified awe, 'What would they do within a besieged city when given hope? How far would they go when their chains were forged into swords?'

From their expressions, Ginedine and Berenice were wondering the same.

"You would really have destroyed the entire country, wouldn't you?" Raymond asked Aalon in a voice that ill befit a former black scripture.

Aalon's voice betrayed no hesitation. "Absolutely. Down to the last brick, I had intended, when everything was ready, to utterly erase every scrap of the Slane Theocracy's existence. It would be the least I could do, for her." He said, inclining his head to Nua who favored him with a very small, satisfied smile.

"Moot now though," he shrugged, "I'm certain the Theocracy will lose, it will die within a year even if I do nothing." He sighed, "I know I should be happy about that, and I am, but if I'm totally honest, I'm a little disappointed that I don't get to shove the knife into the beating heart of the country myself." The flashing fangs left no doubt of his seriousness.

"So, are you satisfied that I can be 'trusted' now, Nua?" Aalon said with a voice that was far to gentle for someone who not but a few moments earlier had casually spoken of utterly exterminating a human nation.

Nua nodded. "I believe you. They convinced me." She said and pointed outside where an elf was having a vigorous discussion with a human, and a few elves bearing good weapons conducted a shift change on the walls. "You are not a master here, and you have abandoned your humanity. I won't apologize for a single word I've said, I waited too long to say them and you deserve every single one of them for what you did, and for what you failed to do. But I believe you now." She said truthfully, "If necessary... I can work with you without either retching or clawing your eyes out." Her eyes were firm, even stern, but her tone did not have the venomous hatred that it held before, it was now even, neutral, even utterly disinterested.

Aalon's eyebrows dropped just a little bit, his lips parted ever so slightly, and his eyes did not close all the way, but the lids there did fall like his eyebrows did, if Nua cared about the face of heartbreak on her former lover she gave no sign.

She did see it at least, but it no longer meant anything to her. 'That is how I felt when you walked away. When I called your name as the bidding went on. When I held the ruined remains of what would have been our son and buried him in the master's field without even a box for his small body. When the sting of the leather kissed my back as I toiled in fields or when I toiled in the sheets. But somehow... I don't feel the satisfaction I thought I would now that I finally see you in pain. It tastes like ashes and desolation." She thought, and from within a well of sadness arose that she did not expect after all that time.

Nua turned away from Aalon so that he would not see it and let her eyes fall to Sebas. "I am convinced, and I believe everybody else is as well. We can go back to Raymond's office unless there is more to see here."

Tula, seeing that her father was to go, embraced him tightly. "Sounds like you have a lot ahead of you." She said with some disappointment as her cheek fell to his chest. "Good luck out there, and give Elpida my best, and tell her I hope she comes back here again soon."

"I will." Aalon said, returning the hug with equal affection as he stroked Tula's long black hair.

When the embrace broke, Tula rolled her eyes, "I have to get back to work, I have to arrange for a shipment of goods for tomorrow and I'm going to run out of time if I don't get started soon."

"Of course, see you soon." Aalon said reluctantly as he waved to her retreating back.

"Who is 'Elpida?" Nua asked. "You mentioned her before, but who exactly is she?"

"My lover, a former slave that I rescued after the death of my wife." Aalon said innocently, not looking behind him when Nua asked, so focused was he on the withdrawal of the vampire girl he'd adopted.

"I see." Nua said dangerously, her eyes narrowing and her arms folded in front of her. "How many of us poor defenseless elf girls have you taken as lovers since my removal?"

"Just her. She was a... comfort, after my last wife perished." Aalon said, oblivious to the tone being used behind him.

"How did she die?" Nua asked pitilessly.

"I don't know the details, only that she died during the early days of the Slane Theocracy moving into the Southern Holy Kingdom. She was one of the first casualties." He said, a hint of mourning in his voice.

Nua's expression did not change, but she was not pleased, she looked around to the others. Their silence suggested they did not share her concern. She sighed and touched her hand to her forehead and rubbed it with her thumb and forefinger, "I'm making too much of this, maybe. After everything I've seen..." She said aloud.

"Of what?" Aalon prompted as he turned around to face them again, a gate opened behind Sebas.

"You were married to a Theocracy soldier and you took an elf slave in Kami Miyako as a lover after the death of your wife? That does not lend itself to trust from where I stand." Nua glared at him.

"Oh, put that way, yes I suppose not, if Elpida wants to leave, I'll let her go to where Raymond is, I will not even argue the matter, if that is a point of concern." He said with such a flat tone of voice that it conveyed his disbelief that she would do that.

"As far as my wife goes, she was a good woman, some do exist in the Theocracy, and I mourn her loss, but after a hundred and forty odd years, well the dead have no claim on the living." He said in passing.

She thought that over for a minute, then shrugged, "That doesn't feel like I thought either." She said and looked to Sebas again. "I'm ready, a shame to pass on the meals, I'm curious about what kind of dishes 'mountain elves' would produce, but... needs must."

"Ah, before we go through that 'thing' again, just what is it?" Aalon asked a little anxiously, gesturing to the whorling portal.

"Magic of a kind far beyond the skills of humans, only our god can manage such things, think no more of it, you will only frustrate yourself." Sebas answered sympathetically, and one by one they stepped through the gate and back into the office.

It was something of a surprise to find that the occupants of the office had grown by two. Another buxom blond girl with somewhat crazy storm gray eyes who was wearing common travel clothing colored in green and brown, cut low to show off her ample breasts, and a green cloak with the hood down, and a completely nondescript man in somewhat decent commoner's clothing shaded red and blue with a simple knife attached to an ordinary brown belt. There was nothing suspicious about them at all, except for where they were... well and the complete lack of reaction at seeing several people step out of a whorling dark hole in the air.

The pair flanked the blonde maid with their arms folded behind their backs in what looked to be a sort of 'relaxed formal' posture.

"We've been wait'n for yah." The blonde woman said in a very thick eastern accent that spoke of a definitive peasant background, Raymond was not the least bit comforted by her mad looking eyes. Nor was he blind to the sudden tension in her body as they filed in. She looked decidedly familiar but he couldn't quite place her.

Ginedine did however, and shortly thereafter, Berenice did as well. The woman's expression said she knew them as well, and as he searched his memory, he finally stumbled upon it. 'The guest, the guest of the Sorcerer King before the war... the hell is she doing here?' He wondered with creeping dread, the madness was tinted by a very clear malice that was not there in their last encounter. 'Oh, by the gods, no! What did we do to her...?' Raymond wondered in horror.

Aalon shifted on his feet and began to fidget. "I... believe my business here is done, I'll wait to hear from you." He said and did not wait for approval before he opened the door.

Not less uncomfortable, Nua said quietly, "I'll see him out."

"Expect to use that equipment soon enough." Sebas said pointedly. "My master tends not to want to let things go to waste."

Both were glad to see the door shut behind themselves, and Aalon exited with only a discomforted nod of acceptance, though as he registered what the butler said, his spirit soared.

Nua walked him wordlessly down the steps and to the door. The sound of their footfalls seemed like the roll of thunder. Servants passed back and forth, elf and human alike, young ones carried small things, everyone did their part. Aalon got some dirty looks, but he bore them stoically.

When they reached the door, Nua reached out to the handle and looked at him. She was inches away, after so long, all he wanted was to reach for her, but those inches might have been miles. She broke the silence brought by the differences between their meeting eyes.

"I meant what I said, Aalon." Nua spoke softly, but confidently, neither shrinking the distance nor closing it, "I will always hate you for what you did to me, to us... but... from what I've seen, you were at least trying to make up for it. I can... try, to let go. It's been a long time since there was a human I didn't hate, Raymond was the first, then finding Berenice and Ginedine, I find they're not that different than he. Now finding you've worked this hard..." She bit her lip, but shook her head. "I can't let go, some part of me tells me I should, but when I think about what would have been our little boy, resting alone in the ground on that farm, and you ultimately put us there? No. I'll work with you as much as I have to, but when Kami Miyako is a ruin and my people are freed, I want to know what city you're in, so that I can be as far away from you as I can be."

"What was the name of the farm?" Aalon asked quietly.

"Trisk, in Wheaton." She said without even having to think about it, her hand tightened on the door. "Now please... please just go. If you ever did really love me, don't make me look at you another second right now, it hurts too much."

He left, walking out the door without looking back. Nua clutched the edge of the door, resting herself against it as he disappeared, watching him leave her behind for the second time. She then closed the door and descended to her favorite place beneath the stairs in the basement. It was the only place in the house she could cry quietly, and she had a lot of that to do.

Back within Raymond's quarters, the unexpected pair flanking Solution 'introduced' themselves.

"Yah know mah face, but ah'll just betcha don't know mah name." The pretty blonde woman said sweetly.

The Cardinals traded looks.

"No." Raymond said, acting as a spokesman for the other two.

She grinned, "Thought not, funny though, His Majesty, he 'membered me right away an all ahh had ta do was wave at'im." She smirked, enjoying the moment as she pointed out his superiority to them.

"But 'salright, the name was Vanysa, an ther ain't no reason yah should remember a 'elpless lil peasant girl." She said in a self-effacing voice while she kept the knowing smirk plastered to her face.

The cardinals traded looks, it took a moment for them to riddle out just what the hell she was saying, and it was Ginedine who did so first. "Scuse me ther lada, but'cha ain't gonna fool me none w'thall tha simple nonsense."

A round of surprised looks fell to his face, save for a disinterested maid, a stoic butler and a nondescript man, though the man raised his eyebrows ever so slightly. The Cardinal of Water gave a large grin that would have been toothy had he not been so old he was missing most of them. "My legal background, I started off working with a lot of peasants, it's been a long time but... well, how do you forget that?" He asked with a wry chuckle.

Vanysa looked amused, but a calculating look came to her eyes and muscles tensed like steel ropes. "Fine, fair enough." She said and the wings popped out of her back and the gold skinned demoness approached. "I guess I have you all to thank for my new state, at least in part, and a bit indirectly, since you chose to support the one who tortured me to suicide. Might as well see this."

She stretched out teasingly, demoness or not, she was pretty. "As I said, my name is Vanysa, and this," she said admiringly, only for her comrade to strike a dramatic pose and interrupt.

"I am Pandora's Actor, creation of the Sorcerer King, or as you might call me, his son." He snapped a crisp salute and spoke with a grandiose reverberating voice, everything about him seemed utterly bizarre, but nothing more outlandish could have been imagined, than hearing him describe himself as the son of their nation's greatest threat.

Lacking any other ideas, Raymond managed to get a few words out, "And you two are here for what?"

"We come! To solve a great problem! To investigate! To study! To learn to know how best to solve it!" Pandora's Actor declared melodramatically, going smartly to an attentive position with his hands at his sides. Silence filled the office as the cardinals found themselves unable to comprehend, let alone respond.

Ainz kept his groan to a minimum and was at least grateful that his creation was not speaking German again. 'What was I thinking, what the hell was I thinking when I wrote that into his character bio?!' He wondered in frustration.

Vanysa did not seem to much care for the theatrics of her colleague, at their confusion she undertook a more... seductive stance. She restored her human appearance and walked over, rolling her hips with every step until she stood before Raymond. She touched his chin and 'turned' her hand so that it was a talon lifting up his gaze. "Have you forgotten, Cardinal? 'You' reported a problem to us, the astrologer woman. She was out of things almost entirely, now she's not, and we're here to deal with her. We want to know why she's active again, what she's capable of, and the best way to remove her as a problem."

"Assassins?" Berenice asked with trepidation.

Vanysa shook her head as she looked over to Berenice without breaking her position with Raymond, "Not necessarily, I seem to have developed a kind of... talent for certain things, such as finding out people's guilt, whereas my colleague here, can get in basically anywhere unnoticed. We came to you three first to find out what you know about her, and we'll begin from there. So..." She said with an inviting gesture of her deadly looking talons as she returned herself to where she'd stood, "please, tell us everything." As if to underscore the significance of the matter at hand, she shifted the rest of the way, leaving them confronting a... prince, and a demoness.

**AN: Hope you enjoyed this chapter, thanks to some of the wonderful critique of ' reader con crit' on another story I've started including some modifications to the way I write. Let me know how you think it worked out in this chapter.**


	13. Lessons in Manners

Blood in the Streets

Written by: AtheistBasementDragon

Edited by: The Usual Gang of Drunken Perverted Idiots

Chapter 13: Lessons in Manners

...Raymond's Office...

Deep frowns were on the faces of the three cardinals. More than that, their bodies trembled. The son of their nation's enemy, a monster in a maid outfit, and a literal demoness were across from them, demanding information. The maid on who she should kill, the other two on a black scripture member. Yet below that floor were many innocents that their nation would torment for the crime of daring to exist. Beyond those walls a comrade that Raymond dearly treasured was fighting against their ally. Within the walls of their city, atrocity took place that they were powerless to prevent.

Yet still, they hesitated.

"You crossed the line and called for our master." Vanysa pointed out, "We are here at your behest, if you're in for a copper, you're in for a platinum." Her eyes narrowed with displeasure as their mouths opened and closed, each time failing to form words.

"Mein fräulein is correct!" Pandora's Actor said dramatically as he pointed to her as if commanding a charge over a battlefield. "Though your love for your colleague is admirable and true, you have made your choice and there is no going back!"

Raymond, Ginedine, and Berenice traded looks with one another, "I'm already the most damned as it is, I suppose." Ginedine said, "Might as well be me." His shoulders slumped in defeat, and he related to them everything he knew of Thousand Mile Astrologer. It did not take long.

Pandora's Actor and Vanysa traded looks.

"This is all?" He asked in disbelief.

"It is." Ginedine said reluctantly.

"Well, at least we know her mother, that is a start." Vanysa said, she put one hand over the other and began to tap it with a talon.

"Why all this interest in her background, though?" Berenice asked curiously, she leaned forward with interest and kept her eyes locked on the trio.

"Mein vater has suggested that her coming out of seclusion at Dominic's behest is unusual, what we know of him does not suggest that he is the kindest of men. So why would she do as he wished? Are they lovers, are they family? Is there something we can exploit there in some way to weaken Dominic or to deter her involvement or even draw her to our side?" Pandora's actor counted out the questions with his fingers, his facial expression was sculpted disinterest, his eyes did not really look at any of them as he answered Berenice.

"And if you can't?" Berenice's question was almost a plea.

Vanysa lowered her gaze, but not in sympathy, the smile on her face was too sweet. She shook her head and shrugged. "She dies. What do you expect? This is a war. Alive and on the wrong side, she'll get people killed in great numbers all round."

"Could you maybe... capture her?" Berenice asked in a small, hopeful voice.

"It may be possible, but if her conscience does not draw her away, and we can't appeal to her greed, or her loyalty to the Theocracy is too great, then she becomes an undesirable and unacceptable variable after the war and she'll have to die regardless." Vanysa explained. "If it makes you feel any better, this would happen with or without you, all you can do is speed it up."

"Damn it all!" Raymond exclaimed dejectedly. "How did it come to this? How? We spent all our lives following the will of the six, or so we thought, but still, somehow we damned ourselves by inches."

"Aptly said." Vanysa responded coolly as she folded her arms in front of her ample chest. "I wasn't a demoness until 'after' your ally, the man you wanted to be ruler over the Holy Kingdom, got a hold of me. I wasn't insane, until 'after' I was captured by the beastmen when you failed to provide us proper aid. When you decided to use us as a meat shield, and decided to back the man who captured me, you set me here."

"Is it too late to apologize?" Ginedine asked with surprising gentleness as he wrung his hands.

Vanysa spoke in a tranquil voice, like a doting mother explaining the way of the world to a child that did wrong, "It is never too late for that, but it can't change the results anyway. I am what I am now, and I've got a job to do, and I'll do my best to do it well. For what it's worth though, I know it was nothing personal, you thought you were doing the right thing and you didn't know the consequences of your choices and even if you had, well... rulers have to make these kinds of calculations. The only difference between Thousand Mile Astrologer and I in these calculations is... she matters to you, but I did not and do not."

Such bluntness left them uncomfortable, and they shifted in their seats accordingly, and save for Raymond, they did not meet her eyes. He however, did not look away. "You're right." He acknowledged. He grabbed his hair at the roots and clenched his fist. "Damn it, everything is wrong! How much more are we going to have to do to bring this to an end with humanity intact?!"

"Immensely more!" Pandora's Actor said emphatically. He opened his arms out wide in front of him and stood suddenly enough to startle them, "You have chosen wisely, oh children of the Theocracy! You have followed your reason or your conscience, and you will save many lives among the humanity you love so deeply! Yet every choice, however right, bears a price, sometimes a terrible one, and it must be paid."

"I am not a cruel being, I will not hurt who I need not hurt in order to achieve the final end of this dread conflict! Assuming you live, you may have many troubled nights ahead, but many others will see many dawns because of you. Let that be your solace. It is far more than what your nation has given to those who fell outside its loving embrace."

He seated himself quietly, and the trio sat transfixed by the powerful voice and almost performance-like quality of the son of Ainz Ooal Gown, the one who called himself 'Pandora's Actor'.

"Since we're discussing these things, we may as well bring up the matter of the Pontifex Maximus." Ginedine said glumly, and he went on to reveal everything they knew.

"Years in planning. Well how do you like that?" Vanysa asked rhetorically in a voice that was almost admiring. "Clever bastard, it's a shame we can't just kill him and be done with the whole thing." Vanysa said with an unhappy sigh.

"Why not?" Berenice clenched her fingers and all but demanded as she ground her teeth so hard that the words barely slipped out.

"Why not what?" Vanysa asked, cocking her head slightly at the question.

Berenice held her hands out cupped in front of her, as if waiting for the answer to be placed within them. "Why can't you just kill Dominic and be done with it, you might have to kill his cohorts as well, but if Dominic dies then we can put Raymond in power and negotiate a peaceful end to all this."

Pandora's Actor let his voice become as thunder, he leaned back and tilted his head down, like a god looking from on high as he spoke. "Because mein guten frauline, then we make him a martyr and must fight this whole war over again in a generation! Would you condemn the youth of today to fight the failed war of their fathers?! If you kill him yourselves, that is one thing, but if 'we' are even suspected of involvement, he will become 'Saint Dominic' and he will be a call to arms for a population convinced that they could have won if they had not been stabbed in the back! The will to fight must be shattered, either by blood lost on the battlefield, or within as you force change upon yourselves!"

It was undeniable, it was horrifying, they had all been quietly hoping in their own hearts that the Sorcerer King would act on his own to remove their 'problem' for them. Now they knew, it was not to be. "Not in centuries has anyone ever openly attempted a coup, not against a Pontiff, not against a Cardinal..." Raymond said in a small, quiet voice before it drifted off into nothing.

Dead air hung within the room. "Well, we've got to create a precedent then. It kills me that the last meaningful act of the government of the Slane Theocracy will be to assassinate one of our own but, as the demoness said, 'needs must'." Berenice uttered unhappily, her eyes could not rise and her skin was pale as a newly turned vampire.

"Vanysa." The demoness said.

"What?" Berenice asked, looking up in surprise.

"My name. It is Vanysa, I would appreciate it being used." The storm gray eyes were narrow and focused like a sunbeam her wings twitched with wrath.

"Oh." Berenice said reluctantly.

Her voice was very calm at first, but grew fragile and her firm, gray eyes clouded over as her lips moved more slowly and deliberately as if to remain clear. More shocking than that, her talons dug into her own arms sharp enough that she, to the wide-eyed dismay of the cardinals, began to bleed black blood over golden skin, "I will say this only once. Assuming you live, you'll have to get used to beings other than humans being counted as people. I didn't ask to be this, I didn't ask to be taken and tortured, but I won't be denigrated like an object anymore, it's that kind of thinking that made the powerful think nothing about doing whatever they wanted to me, and that way of thinking will die even if I have to sever every head that holds it. Don't add yourselves to that list."

"My. Name. Is. Vanysa. Not 'the demoness', not 'that demoness', not 'girl', not 'peasant'. I have a name and you will use it." She said, her wounded voice growing suddenly savage. "Am I clear?"

"Yes, I'm sorry... Vanysa." Berenice corrected herself in a regretful tone, and the tension bled away with the apology.

"Where will you stay, while you work?" Raymond asked as his shoulders dropped and his breathing became regular again when the office occupants relaxed.

"Not here, if you're worried, mein guten herr." Pandora's Actor said easily, "We will secure lodgings of our own, only Solution will remain within. Our other observer will be recalled and assuming you have no one else in this city on par with say... General Zetsumei, then she will be bodyguard enough for your house during the day, and killer enough at night. Any other questions?" He asked in a voice that sounded gentle after the previous upset.

"None for now, is there anything else we can tell you?" Ginedine asked, speaking for his companions.

"I hope not. For your sake, mein vater will be displeased if you are holding anything back." Pandora's Actor said, clapping his hands together with a very loud finality.

He stood up and looked to his demonic companion. Vanysa had returned her form to that of a human, and sans her demonic form, the stung expression of being referred to so dismissively, was much more obvious, but she let her hands fall to her side in an act of sheer will, and with her back ramrod straight, she strode toward the exit, not even looking at the cardinals as she did so. Pandora's Actor followed, but as he reached the door he stopped to look down at them. "You have wounded my companion, unintended or not, she may have forgiven it this time, but I will not forget it, nor will mein vater. If you knew the lengths that he went to, to save her from your ally..." He stopped to let them imagine, and then added, "She is as she is, in part because of you, if you do not like demons, perhaps you should stop going out of your way to make more of them." His voice was quiet, stern, and full of rebuke and his expression was almost uncannily blank.

Berenice shuddered, "I-I am truly sorry, I was not trying to offend, please tell her that." She felt the cold fingers of death caressing her beating heart, but too, the wounded face on the human girl when she'd restored herself, spoke to the conscience of a cardinal who had spent her life securing the weak of her nation. She'd seen many agonized expressions of pain or loss from monsters, and she'd seen a shadow of it on the girl who had just walked out. It had not felt good to be the cause of that.

Pandora's Actor let his eyes linger, searching her for signs of sincerity or fear, before he gave a subtle nod and walked out, what that meant, Berenice did not know.

That left them with the quiet Solution who, with her armored boots still propped up on the desk, was idly inspecting her fingernails for dirt that was definitely not there.

"So that was interesting." She began with amusement. "I'm not much for humans you know," she said without looking at them, seeming to find her fingernails and cuticles far more interesting, "but I'll give you some good advice. Don't get into the habit of insulting my master's servants." Her smile went impossibly wide, with the rounded ends making it obvious she was not even remotely human.

"We'll keep that in mind, at the forefront of our minds, actually." Ginedine said with evident discomfort as he shifted in his seat and scrunched his toes back and forth within his shoes. "Berenice, should we go?"

"Yes, definitely." She said and stood up. The pair bowed politely. "Lady Solution." They said to the confident and dangerous looking maid, before walking out, letting out a deep sigh of relief as the door shut behind them. They descended the steps as quickly as they could without running, and did not pause to trade words, getting gone was their only goal.

"Now, who is it that needs to die?" Solution questioned offhandedly to the sole remaining cardinal.

Raymond had the vague sense that he should have been annoyed, even outraged, by the absurdity of a maid propping her feet up on his desk and sitting back in his chair, in his office, in his house, in his city, and in his country. But he felt as worn away as a handful of sand dunked into a flowing river, so he resigned himself to the new normal of his life. So he stood up slowly, as if he were trying to rise with a heavy weight holding him down at his shoulders.

He went to the right side of his desk and opened a drawer. Solution watched with great interest as she saw the mass of files. "What are all those?" She asked with a strangely hungry look on her face.

Raymond took out a file and set it on the desk. Then he reached into another drawer and removed an identical file. He laid them side by side and looked over at Solution, his eyes were very hard, his face was stone. For a moment, the middle aged man looked like the warrior he must once have been.

He waved his hand over the one on the right. "This one, with a red slash through the name... is one I've finished off." He opened the file and read the name, along with some of the details, "The document inside contains his personal information and his known assets and weaknesses, enough information for me to frame someone else, cover up an accident, whatever I need to do, along with the necessary information about what they own that we need to buy up for our own use after the fact. This one was simple, he had no children, he was old, I smothered him to death. People thought he died naturally, but he died in terror." Raymond's smile was rather proud.

"Sometimes they're more complicated." He said and put the file away, then drew out another. "This one was staged like a suicide, simple enough, but first I had to kill her son, she was obsessed with him and he with her and everyone knew it. They were a particularly disgusting pair, so first I drowned him, making it look like an accident, then the night after the funeral, I broke in and hanged her, she lived long enough to know why she was dying and what else I'd done to her. Buying her land for cheap was easy with no other heirs." Solution stared in fascination as he set that file aside, her eyes were wide and her inhuman smile seemed painted on her face as she listened to this artist of a predator.

"My personal favorite is this one though, the old bitch ran brothels, but her two sons had bad habits, so we made them worse, then I killed their mother and we started setting her sons to fighting one another over the inheritance. The three centuries of family brothels were sold off for half their value to pay for advocates to fight in court, one has developed a drinking and gambling problem, the other a habit with black dust and whores. Both of them owe money to the wrong people and are counting on winning the stake of the other to dig themselves out of the hole. Neither are aware that there isn't enough anymore to do that even if the battle ended tomorrow. Soon we'll buy up the last scraps of inheritance from them, which they'll use up in a fortnight. Then they'll have no money for advocates, nothing will be left to inherit, they'll have no skills, no mommy to bail them out, and the wrong people will realize there is nothing left of value to their lives. Then..." Raymond grinned and gently put the file away and shut the drawer, hard, like a coffin lid sealing their fates.

Solution was looking at him with a new respect as he explained the intricacy and savagery of his murderous, merciless process. His voice suddenly became amicable and animated, "These other files," he said, waving his hand further to the left to hover over it, "the ones without any marks, are potential targets. Hodge was my last one before things went to hell. Now you're here, it is up to you who to kill, how, and when. My office and my resources are at your disposal, Lady Solution. As am I, should you require an extra pair of hands." He bowed politely and straightened up.

Letting out an amused 'hmm' sound, Solution thought for a moment as she looked him over. "You keep me this entertained for the rest of my time here, and if I end up being ordered to kill you, I'll make it quick." She said with a girlish titter.

**AN: Well another chapter down, wanted to make this longer, but I have army reserve duty this weekend soooo... not that much time. If you enjoy my work, well chapter two of my original work "Scales of Trust" came out on my patr3 on at slash tellingstories. At between one and five thousand subscribers, I'll write full time. Is this quality of work worth the cost of a single large soda or month? Up to you. :) It's your property, do with it as you like.**

**As for Blood in the Streets, this one will start racing to a conclusion soon, I was 'going' to hold it back some to avoid risking spoilers, but I'll just annotate their presence in the chapter at the start and you can decide for yourself, you're adults, you can make up your own minds (well, most of you I think). ;)**


	14. Sworn Vengeance: Part I

Blood in the Streets

Written by: AtheistBasementDragon

Edited by: The Usual Gang of Drunken Perverted Idiots

Chapter 14: Sworn Vengeance, Part 1

**AN: So some of my readers did something neat the other day. They started an wiki expressly for Overlord Fanfiction. The concept being that authors and readers of authors could write about their Overlord Expanded Author Universes, favorites, key materials, references, and so on. Whether the concept will work out or not remains to be seen, but it is up on Fandom dot com. The location being Overlord-fanfiction dot fandom dot co m. That's all, leave reviews if you can, feedback feeds me. :)**

_...Raymond's Basement..._

Nua wiped her face and sniffled hard. She didn't get every tear, some of them had already struck her sleeping mat. She set herself from kneeling in her little space beneath the stairs, to laying herself down on her back and folding her arms over her stomach. It was several minutes before she realized that she'd placed them over where she'd carried what would have been her son. She yanked her hands away and held them at her sides, keeping them so tense they shook in order to keep them from drifting back to where she'd laid them before. "Damn." She cursed as she inhaled deeply, trying to clear her nose.

Her voice was bitter as she spoke. "Damn. Damn. Damn. Aalon... why did you have to show up again? It was easier to think you were long dead. Why did you have to say those things, and why do I have to believe them?" She looked up above her in the darkness, she could hear faint footsteps overhead, there was no urgency to them. Some sounded like the footfalls of children. Nua let out a small bit of laughter, they were a happy little bunch, and Raymond was responsible for that. "Good humans. What a novel idea?" She whispered to the darkness. She wiped her face with the blade of her hand again. "Thought I ran out of tears over the bastard years ago. Why the hell am I crying now? What's done is done." She said to herself with finality and closed her eyes, staring up into the darkness as the hard fought battle of her heart that day came to a close, she started to drift off, and did not notice as she did so, that once again her hands had unconsciously folded over her belly again.

Aalon strode swiftly and with purpose out of the cardinal's house, he looked up at the starry night sky in surprise, it was later than he'd expected. 'What a day, I can't believe I found her, I finally found her after all these years...' He thought to himself, a joyful smile lit his face, even after she'd attacked him in a frothing rage, even after he'd learned devastating news, even after everything she'd said... 'She's alive, she's safe, she will be free. My Nua, my precious Nua... I'm so glad you're alright.' Just knowing that, made him overjoyed. Even her sending him away didn't dampen his enthusiasm and his will to see the Theocracy destroyed shot even higher than it was before.

But something else ate at him, the news of the son that might have been. He mounted his horse with ease, swinging a leg over as he started to trot it purposefully out into the main street. It was busy still, and would be until the deepest hours of the evening, and normally he was a very polite rider. But not today. He trotted forward indifferent to those who had to get out of his way. That was how the Theocracy worked, a carriage trumped a horse, a horse trumped people afoot, and people on foot trumped the beggars on the ground. Those below made way for those above. So he kept the steady clip clop rhythm of his horse going without even a hint of kindness to those around him, they could wait, he had somewhere to be.

Fortunately, people knew how that system worked, and cleared out of the way for him without issue. He rode well beyond the residential and government district until he reached the merchant's guild house. The door was wide since most of the patrons tended to be on the portly side, and was made of a light colored wood that was almost golden in hue. The ornate arch spoke of great expense, but it didn't take a genius to know that the guild didn't pay full price for it. There was a small window split up into five panes with little wooden rods, not uncommon for most businesses, but what made theirs unique was the presence of glass to allow them to see through while keeping the cold out. As the temperature continued to drop, the value of that expensive indulgence would only increase.

He hitched his horse and approached, the door was unguarded and unlocked. When he walked in he was greeted by high ceilings and gold shaded wood lined with ornate carvings, a small bar sat at one side behind which a buxom young woman steadily worked wiping the counter. Everything in the guild was clean and stayed that way. A bell rang overhead as he pushed the door open and both the bartender and several customers looked up, the place was nearly full. He ignored the rest and went to the bartender. She leaned over to him, tapping her forearm on the counter, her blue eyes sparkled and her red hair bounced as she looked up to meet his eyes. "Hey there stranger, it's been awhile." She said with a smile.

Aalon touched her hand with his, "Hi Lola, it has been a few months, hasn't it?" He asked.

She smiled flirtatiously, "I count the very days, Dolorem." Her voice went dusky for a moment and her eyelids lowered seductively.

Aalon rolled his eyes, "How many men did you say that to today?" He asked as he tapped the back of her hand.

"How many men are in the guild right now?" She asked, then stood up and laughed as soon as he did.

"Uh huh, that's what I thought. Listen I need you to do something for me." He said as he took a seat on the ornate pale golden wood stool.

"You know my prices," she said with a playful smirk.

"Gah, not 'those' prices, Lola. I'm being serious." He said as he tried to keep back a laugh with 'mixed' success.

"What is it?" She asked, the flirty smile gone and she became all business as she whipped out a slip of paper and snatched up a quill from under the bar.

"I need a message dispatched to Wheaton's main bank. You know that mining magnate I sometimes do work for on the side?" He asked in a low voice as he leaned in close.

"Yeah, the one out west." She affirmed as she leaned forward to hear him better, she placed the paper on the counter, waiting to write.

"He wants to know more about the Trisk family. What are their debts and who holds the note. My 'client' wants to buy it." Lola looked at him in surprise.

"I know the Trisks, they sell a lot of wheat here." She said with surprise. "Your client wants to get into farming?" A suspicious look came over her face. "That is suspiciously... diverse."

"I wouldn't know." He said dismissively, "Look, I don't know much about that stuff, I'm just a simple guard that did a man a favor and got a tidy side job out of it running messages to you all." Aalon put on his most humble face and folded one hand gently over the other, and looked away innocently as if he had no idea what she was talking about.

"I'll get you what you want, but when you get it, it didn't come from me, I don't want any disruption to the guild." Lola said with some misgiving etched on her face.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll stop by next week and you'll be well compensated just like always." Aalon said with a casual and dismissive shrug. "I'll see you later."

"Stop by anytime. But especially if there is money involved." Lola said with a grin, then she waved farewell to Aalon, wrote down what he'd need to know, and went into her back office.

"Elpida, what a story I'll have for you today." Aalon said to himself as he unhitched and mounted the horse, and spurred it on to trot home.

...Elsewhere in Kami Miyako...

Pandora's Actor walked quietly next to Vanysa for a short while. She wiped the blood from her arms, then pulled her hands away and looked down at them, they were streaked with black and red, the holes in her arms were already almost completely closed, in another minute they'd be gone as if they were never there, but the stains remained on her skin. "Here, meine Frau." He said in a gentle voice and took a cloth from his pocket and began to wipe away the stains, first from her arms, then taking her hands in his, he began to clean her palms. She was glad that the winter weather brought the night earlier, though she knew he could see her clear as day, it was a small comfort.

As he looked down to help, "I'm sorry for my... reaction. Back there, I mean." She said in a hushed voice as he dabbed the cloth over her bloody palms. "I just, I know what I am now, but even though it's been months, it's still a lot to take in, to get used to. I'm grateful for my new life and new form, in many ways it is a dream come true. But even so, to just be casually referred to as 'the demoness' as if I was less than I used to be, or as if I were just some object like, 'that chair' or 'that desk'... I couldn't bear it."

Pandora's Actor didn't say anything until the blood was gone. "Mein Fräulein, you need not apologize, that was for them to do. The woman, Berenice, did say as I left to apologize to you again, if it matters."

"Do you think she meant it?" Vanysa asked, raising one blond eyebrow.

"I do not think she was lying at least." He replied as he pocketed the bloody cloth.

"I see. Well, enough self-indulgence, we've got a job to do, right?" She asked as she perked up, switching emotions on a dime, her smile went wide and eager.

"We do." He replied and wrapped an arm around her and pulled her to his side, he then pointed dramatically out into the city beyond, "Out there is our destined task, which will give meinem Vater his final victory!"

Vanysa could not help but laugh at the sudden dramatic antics of her colleague. "Uh huh." She said and gently disengaged herself from him. "Let's go, first we check into the inn."

"Then what do we do?" He asked curiously.

"The same thing we do every day, help Lord Ainz take over the world." She grinned maniacally and began to undertake a gentle, casual skip, her hands folded behind her back, Pandora was struck by the playfulness of the mad demoness, but also by the grace of her motions, not a motion was wasted, and only the fact that her little tiny leaps were just a little larger than normal, hinted that there might be more to her than an ordinary common woman.

'She may be mad, but she is quite the specimen.' He thought, taking long confident strides of his own to catch up with her, bringing himself quickly to her side. Gradually her 'skip' turned into a swift walk, the two looked like a very ordinary couple, and seemed for all the world to perfectly belong as part of the Theocracy. While they went to their destination they took in the sights.

When they got to the inn, Vanysa was still on edge, though she did her best to hide it. The inn, like most of the rest of the city, was clean and well organized, a human stood at the counter, but it was elves that were moving about in the main lobby area, it was large with abundant seating around the tables. The elves were wearing decent and frequently somewhat revealing clothing as they walked from table to table bearing beverages or food, or bringing small goods like documents, papers, books, or other materials to those who wished them.

The person attending to them was a well dressed older woman, plump but not fat, with strands of gray hair beginning to appear among the chestnut brown. Her clothing was a dress patterned sky blue on white, and her hair hung short, cut off at the shoulders. "Welcome to the Restful Cloud, my lord and lady." She said in a welcoming voice with a matronly smile. "Are you here to check in?"

"We are." Pandora's actor said, "My wife and I are quite tired, it has been a long journey and we are in need of rest. Have you room for us?" He asked in a charming voice.

"Yes, of course. Will that be deluxe, first class, or second class service?" She said, then asked sweetly.

"Yes, of course." Vanysa said and snorted dismissively, as if there were any other option.

The woman smiled broadly and wrote their names in a book. She then took a key off the back wall and rapped on a nearby door beside the rest of the keys. A young elf female stepped out. "This couple is deluxe level, show them to their room, you're on call for anything they need."

"That'll be a gold piece per night." She said to the couple, and Pandora plopped seven of them down on the counter below the matronly woman's wide eyes.

The female elf had a smile painted on her face, the sort of smile Vanysa knew all too well, having worn it herself many times. It was the insincere smile of the oppressed, hoping desperately that she would not have to endure too much.

"This way, my lady, my lord." The elf girl said and walked briskly to a set of stairs. No sound was made but the sound of their footsteps. Vanysa noted that the girl's clothing was good, far better than what they'd seen on the street, it was a simple tunic that wrapped the front to cover the breasts, but left the belly bare, at her waist a front and back cloth hung that went down below the knees, but left her flanks bare and it waved as if intended to be inviting.

The female led them to a door and when it was opened, she entered before them. She went down to both knees and lowered her eyes. She then pointed to a silk rope hanging from a small hole in the wall, then to another on the opposite side of the bed. "If the master or mistress desires service... of any kind, I am assigned to this room, I will carry out any order, so long as it does not violate the laws of the chosen people of the gods." She had kept her face carefully neutral, blank, as she recited what was surely a rehearsed speech, but her clothing suggested a particularly popular use. "If the master or mistress wishes to praise or complain, this slave is identified as 'Enlaith'. Is there anything I may do for you?" She asked, she had not raised her gaze even once as she spoke, nor had her tone betrayed any displeasure, Vanysa looked the female over, her ability to see guilt detected one thing, one thing the girl was very proud of.

The elf froze, humans did not stare at her like this, not without something horrific in mind, she felt like she was being vivisected alive. Like some necromancer looking over a sacrifice. Vanysa's eyes bored into her, her lust for punishment arose unbidden. 'So beautiful... so delicious looking, yes, the way you stood over him and laughed, I can taste your hate from here... how I want to play with you, we'd have... such fun.' Vanysa almost shook with desire as her thoughts ran through her sadistic mind. Enlaith squirmed, terror swept over her as the beautiful blonde whom she was to serve looked at her with rapacious and predatory hunger. 'But... we have no time.' She thought regretfully.

Then it was gone. Vanysa smiled sweetly and shook her head, "No, nothing, but we'd appreciate a wakeup at sunrise with breakfast being brought, something light, bread, eggs, and some cheese. Is that doable?"

"It will be done mistress." Enlaith said deferentially, still trembling under the now paradoxically sweet and tranquil face.

"Then you may go." Vanysa said, and the girl stood and strode out swiftly, eager to depart as quickly as she could.

"Mein Fräulein, what was that?" Pandora's Actor asked curiously as the door closed behind them.

Vanysa went to the private bath and began to draw water for it. "Nothing, my dear guardian. I just want to see her again. She's a murderess, but... I like her. I want to play with her, gods, how cruel she was, perhaps he deserved it, but there's bloodlust in that one, she wants more, and if she tries to poison us, well I'll ask master to let me play with her."

Pandora's Actor let the surprise show on his face. "Murderess? That one?"

"Yes, she killed her former master, poison that mimicked a disease, she put on such a show of adoring him for months before, that nobody thought to suspect her, she's very proud of it. But... it is 'technically wrong' so I could see it all." Vanysa replied from the next room.

"Do you intend to punish her?" He asked.

"Not at the present. She is a slave and she did just strike back at her master. However, I wouldn't have noticed her abiding guilt unless there was more to it, perhaps he wasn't cruel, or perhaps she killed him for some nefarious reason, I don't know. It is the sort of thing many a peasant girl has dreamt of, let alone so... I'm not planning to strike 'yet', regardless of how tempting she is. However, if she tries to prey on us... well that would be another matter." Vanysa said in passing as she put her hand into the water to check the temperature.

"That is perfectly sensible." Pandora's Actor said in a reasonable voice.

"Share the bath?" She asked as he walked in.

"I suppose so. I dislike this place, and wish to wash the stain of it away." He said unhappily, "And also, it will distract from the lack of magical objects to touch while I am here."

"Will this help?" Vanysa asked and took a small red ball out of the pouch at her side.

When she tossed it into his hand, he grinned happily. "Yes, what does it do?" He asked eagerly.

"Nothing special, just a continual bounce enchantment, a child's toy, but I thought this might be unpleasant for you without 'something' magical to touch." She said thoughtfully.

"Danke mein Fräulein." He said and snapped a grateful salute.

"Think nothing of it." She said sweetly, "We're on the same side, it is only natural I should be nice to you. I guess the bed is yours by the way, the floor will be good enough, I've slept worse places, I'll get up before she arrives and slip in beside you to still any suspicions." She added dismissively as she shut the water off.

"Why must you take the floor?" He asked as he scratched his head uncertainly.

"Well, you're a Guardian, my title is 'General Assistant' that makes you my superior as far as hierarchy goes. I doubt I'd even outrank a maid created of Nazarick." She said wryly.

"Nonsense, meine gute Frau." He said dismissively as she disrobed and slipped into the water. He started to disrobe to do the same, and continued on, "You may have been born as a human outside of mein home, yet I know the story of your recreation, your body was ripped apart, you gave your life to our master, and he remade you within our home, as if you were the mud of creation in his hands. Though I do not know how others feel, to me, that makes you like a little sister, born of the same master's will, we may share the bed for tonight and you may be at ease."

As he slipped into the water, she smiled at him with renewed warmth, as her form shifted to that of a demoness, her wings trembled happily. "That is very sweet of you... big brother." She said with a charming smile.

When they went to bed after that, Vanysa slept very, very well. Enlaith returned promptly at the scheduled time dressed as she was before and carrying a small tray in her hands, true to their cover, the pair lay in bed beneath the covers, and she gently shook them awake after setting aside the tray on a table. "Master, mistress, it is morning. I have brought you breakfast."

They sat up and stretched out, Vanysa, committed to her role, remained bare breasted and indifferent to anyone else's presence. "Good, we're going out this morning, but we may have questions about the city later if you can tell us anything." She said as she got up and threw on a traveling shirt and putting on pants and boots.

"As you wish, mistress." She said as she laid out breakfast. She was thereafter dismissed, leaving the pair alone. When she walked out, she felt those eyes on her, sadistic, savage, predatory. Her heart beat as rapidly as if she'd been running for hours, yet neither the woman nor her mate had 'done' anything to her. The man was utterly disinterested, and the woman only looked. 'Those eyes though... she wants to hurt me, I can feel it. Bitch, I'd kill you first, I'm not a virgin to death, think I'm powerless? You sleep in my world, you eat the food and drink the wine or tea I bring you. Do you know how easy it would be...? Go ahead, go ahead and look, but cross me and die, die like every evil human deserves.' She indulged the fantasy for a moment, smiling a genuine, true smile as she imagined the sadistic beautiful blonde taking a bite, then swallowing and grabbing her stomach in agony, her husband rushing to her side, only to fall over, they land together, grasping hands, struggling to reach the door or the bell, the pain ripping through them, then blackness and eternal night. She sighed happily, then went down stairs to fetch fresh sheets for them.

"Where do we go first?" Vanysa asked as she ate.

"I wish to get a greater feel for the nature of this city, if we understand it better, we may learn something that lets us question the woman more effectively." Pandora's Actor replied as picked up a piece of cheese.

"Sounds reasonable." Vanysa said indifferently, and when they finished their meal, they set out to walk the streets.

Wealthy humans rode in carriages down busy streets, their curtains closed so that they saw nothing beyond. Men and women on horseback looked haughtily forward, few looked down at the people who walked, and both groups made way for carriages. The people who walked, stepped over the beggars who sat with their backs against various buildings. They were few in number, but not without presence. But above them all there was one consistency, when a carriage marked with one of the insignias of the six rode through, even the carriages of the wealthy moved aside. Where a priest walked, he was not accosted by beggars, and the citizens who saw him, gave him an open path to walk unmolested, even where there were knots of people, they parted like stalks of wheat blown apart by the wind.

Elf slaves walked with heads down, there was not one whose ears were not mutilated, most of them wore nothing more than a sackcloth and a collar, a few wore less than that. They made way even for beggars, and did everything they could to avoid being noticed, trying to blend in. some followed humans, some were leashed, some were on their own, and their clothes were marked with insignias indicating who owned them in case they 'stepped out of line'..

"What do you think?" Pandora's Actor asked as they watched a woman hurriedly tug her child back with her as a priest passed by. He didn't seem to notice them making way for him.

Vanysa scratched her cheek with her pointer finger for a moment as she thought of how to address the question. "Well, the hierarchy here is fairly obvious, but I don't see any resentment over it. They're used to this. More than that though, they're all clean and well fed, even the beggars look relatively healthy and there are not that many of them. Corruption, if it exists, must be fairly minimal. If I didn't know how much misery it rested on, I'd say they were good rulers." She said as her eyes fell to a pathetic elf slave with a scarred face that shuffled past them.

"They are a proud lot." Pandora's Actor commented in a non-judgemental sort of voice.

"To their detriment." Vanysa agreed in a 'very' judgemental tone.

It was an amicable silence between them as they went on, until they came to a gathered crowd. Instinctively, their eyes went in the direction of the gathering numbers. What held the crowd's attention was immediately obvious. A slave auction.

"Shall we go watch? I've never seen one of these." Pandora's Actor said thoughtfully.

"I guess we should. The more we know, the better off we'll be." Vanysa said with a casual shrug.

"How are your... other senses?" He asked thoughtfully.

Vanysa gave a joyful smile, "It's like being in a bakery filled with fresh cookies, while looking out from a high mountain over a beautiful verdant field. There is... just... so much guilt here. It's bliss, so much bliss... I want to play. Especially with that one." She said as she pointed to a man who stood atop the platform, he wore fine clothing with rich, bright colors and a flamboyant feather bedecked hat. He had a fire red beard and even from where she stood, Vanysa saw piercing hazel eyes.

"Can you keep your calm?" Pandora's Actor asked.

Vanysa snorted. "Of course I can, I will not fail my master." She said in an almost insulted tone of voice.

"Then let's go watch." He responded and walked over to where the crowd stood.

From atop the platform the man spoke with profound confidence, "I think you'll all be very pleased to see what Reecon," he paused to let them know that 'he' was Reecon, "has to show you today. Whether you want one to work with a strong back, or one to just work on it, I've got what you need!" The crowd laughed at the lewd joke.

He held his arm out to one side and a guard brought up a young elf male. "This's Imba, how old are you boy?" He asked.

"Eighty six." He said timidly.

"Where were you born?" Reecon asked.

"Wheaton, sir." Imba replied.

"Show em your back, boy." Reecon said, and the boy turned his back and lifted his sack.

"Not a mark on 'im! He's docile and obedient. And he's young so he could serve your house for generations. He's a great long term investment and a born slave." Reecon said enthusiastically.

"Should we bid?" Pandora's Actor asked thoughtfully.

Vanysa thought it over. "It would be good to have some help but... we can't take the risk." She said regretfully.

"I'd have thought you would say yes out of pity alone?" Pandora's Actor said with surprise, the question obvious in his tone.

"I don't have much pity left in me. Not anymore." She said dismissively. "Still, in other circumstances I might, but... we just can't. We'll have to hope one of 'our' people buys him instead. But even if they don't, it won't be long before the question is moot anyway." Vanysa said in a clipped and calculated voice that, to Pandora's Actor, sounded more like she was trying to convince herself of what she said.

The bidding went quickly and the boy was led down the platform.

A moment later, an elf woman was brought up, she kept an eye towards Imba, and soon it was evident why. "Next up, we have the boy's mother!" Reecon said enthusiastically.

"I'll be seeing you real soon." Vanysa ground out through her teeth, eyes staring daggers at the auctioneer. "All vengeance belongs to me." She said, hungrily.

"Let's go." Pandora's Actor said, and touched her arm to draw her attention.

When they left, they heard the woman's pleas for the same person who bought her son, to buy her also. Whether she got her wish or not, they did not know, as shortly after that they were out of earshot.

"I know all I need to know." He said to Vanysa with his lips turned down unhappily.

Vanysa's smile contrasted him starkly, "Understood, but there are so many I want to know so much more... intimately." Her fingers twitched and she breathed deeply as if to inhale a sweet scent. "But as you wish, let's go see the woman."

Pandora's Actor walked next to her for awhile, idly taking in the sights and sounds. He heard people haggling over goods, blacksmiths working, and children playing. By any reckoning he could think of, it struck him as being like any other kingdom. A thought occurred. "I have a question." He said to the demoness in disguise beside him.

She walked with casual purpose beside him. "Yes?" She asked, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

"You've often spoken of your ability to sense guilt, but... is there some criteria shaping it? Is it just instinct? Do you have any input into the determination?" He asked, his entire body trembled for a moment as he resisted the urge to make a dramatic gesture or speak in a loud grandiose voice.

"It's difficult to explain." She said thoughtfully, she stroked her chin, and then said, "I think it is based in some measure on my race, as a Tisiphone Fury. I asked master once... why this form, why not an angel, or an elf, or anything else. He said the morphomancy would likely have failed. Do you know anything about it?" She asked him, giving him a more direct glance.

"Little, mein Fräulein." He said confidently, certain in his lack of knowledge.

"Apparently my race was not chosen for me by chance. The degree of resistance even in a corpse, would vary according to how close the transformation was to the true nature of the chosen being. So if he had chosen an elf, I might revive only to die, if he had chosen an angel, again I would have eventually lost my form and died. But because I had a lust for revenge and had developed a sadistic streak, this fit me perfectly, eliminating any lingering resistance from my dead body. So here I am." She opened her arms wide as if to embrace the world, then tittered a bit and resumed the walk.

Vanysa shrugged at a loss and continued. "So I think that it is partially based on that, but some I think is based on my creator. Master's code seems to have influenced me. I don't think the human me would have considered that elf girl... Enlaith, guilty at all. But I do, master's code seems to have a sense of balance to it skewed towards objectives, a death that has use or is necessary is acceptable, such as what happened on the Katze Plains. If it advances Nazarick, it is acceptable. Perhaps there is also something of myself within, I can think of nothing I would not do if so ordered. But also I wonder if that is my will, or if it is because he created me as I am? It is that kind of question that keeps me awake when I should sleep. How much of me is 'me' and how much is what he made of me?"

"If I am his doll, then he may play with me, if I am his created servant, let me serve, if I am myself, I give myself freely, if I am his puppet, then let me dance to his tune until my strings are cut. I know before I lived 'this way' I wanted to serve him fully, so... perhaps even if my will is now nothing but an extension of his, and my sense of guilt is driven by his standards, well then, I got my wish." She said with a little smile. It was wry and sweet as she looked at the powerful guardian, "Not many peasant girls get their wishes in this world you know, so... whatever the answer is, I'm OK with it."

"Fascinating, mein little sister, yet... we have arrived!" He said and gestured dramatically at the row of houses in the residential district. As most were out, he went unnoticed.

"How do you want to proceed?" She asked. "Hard, or soft?" Her eyes were wild with desire, her hands trembled as if they ached to release the golden skin and talons her human form concealed.

"You have a preference, do you not?" He asked in a noble voice, imitating his father.

"I do. She is mother to our enemy, living in a nation of the guilty, her daughter threatens, however slightly, the plans of our master... I want to hurt her. But..." She slapped her leg smartly, "I don't know if she's actually done anything, so I guess I'm a little conflicted. Let's see what she's like first, if she's got enough guilt, let me play my game, if she doesn't, we go soft and just manipulate them into self destruction. That OK, 'big brother'?" Vanysa gave him a playful smile as she asked the question, and poked him in the ribs teasingly.

"Certainly, 'little sister', as you like." He said whimsically and strode towards the home. Vanysa briefly held a sadistic smile, then wiped it away, replacing it with a sweet one, as they walked over to the door and gave it three firm knocks.


	15. Sworn Vengeance: Part II

Blood in the Streets

Written by: AtheistBasementDragon

Edited by: The Usual Gang of Drunken Perverted Idiots

Chapter 15: Sworn Vengeance, Part 2

...The Previous Evening...

When Ginedine and Berenice had gone, there was nothing they could do but shudder. Berenice looked at the now closed door behind them. She sighed heavily, "That was bad, that was very bad."

"Yes, yes it was." Ginedine shuddered. "You really upset that one, and given that she was the personal guest of our... covert ally, and was killed by our then ally... well, I hope she accepted your apology."

"Me too." Berenice said unhappily, "I really wasn't trying to offend her, but I guess it just came naturally. Habits to unlearn, assuming I did not just sign my death warrant."

"Still doing better than I am, I have no protection, if what they told us in there was true and... I think it is, my best bet to stay alive even on the right side is to do enough to earn something akin to a pardon. But how do we make up for a lifetime of wrongs?" Ginedine asked with his old shoulders slumped even more than usual.

Berenice got into the carriage when they reached it, then gently helped Ginedine into it in turn. When they were seated and the doors closed she replied firmly, "We can start by killing Dominic."

"How? When he's at home, he's guarded, when he's out, he's guarded, anyone who gets too close to him will be assumed to be an assassin and killed, so what do we do?" Ginedine asked ruefully as he leaned back in the seat and looked up at the ceiling of the carriage.

"There is one place he's vulnerable." Berenice said thoughtfully, mimicking the posture of her colleague. "Our meetings, a well placed trap spell and a crystal in the room with us, and no more Dominic."

"Well and good, but then what?" Ginedine asked, his face may have been tired and old, but his eyes were as sharp as those of a young man, and they were hard as steel as he pushed his point further. "That still leaves Maximillian and Yvon, they have the support of the Agante even if Dominic dies."

"That is true, but if we act quickly enough and 'remove' the others, then the Agante will fall into line. They're not stupid, they have no way to rule on their own and at the end of the day, they're just another cover agency, and our scriptures will follow us. The Agante are excellent within their role, but if the Pontiff takes direct control over the army and we recall the scriptures, what can they do but pretend to be alright with it? We can then negotiate an end to this conflict. We may have to give up a lot, but if even the pretense of our nation survives, that will be something the people can accept." Berenice pointed out in a matronly voice that seemed so at odds with the casual discussion of brutality and treason against the state. "The only problem is... how do we eliminate the others quickly after Dominic dies?"

"The guards." Ginedine said with a flash of inspiration. "There are always a pair outside the door. We find someone with a grudge. I can think of plenty who have been hurt by his policies, people with sons or daughters at the front who want this war to end because they're terrified of losing a child or a parent or a sibling. Or simply someone greedy, with gambling debt or a bad habit. Pay them to eliminate anyone who runs out the door, and the element of surprise should be enough, and if not, we'll be behind them."

"Dangerous, bold, but it has as good a chance as anything." She said with reluctant affirmation. "Fine, we'll try it that way. When this is over, we drink to peace, then negotiate it as best we can."

"Agreed." Ginedine said as he stretched out with some confidence in the carriage. "For now though, drop me off at home, I'm exhausted."

"Sure thing, old man." Berenice said with a grin.

...Within Dominic's Manor...

Dominic smiled maliciously as he sat in his favorite chair in front of the roaring fire in his manor. Yarvin approached from his back left, "Wine, master?"

"Yes, Yarvin. That would be very welcome." He said without looking up, he held out the goblet absentmindedly while he read over the document in his other hand.

"Shall I send one of the shes to you?" He asked further as the wine sloshed into the cup. When it was full, he pulled the bottle back without spilling a drop.

Dominic shook his head in the negative, "No, not necessary, I'm in a good mood, but I need to focus."

"As you wish, master. Shall I have food prepared for you at least? You need to keep your strength up, after all." Yarvin asked tenderly.

Dominic thought it over, looking away from the document for a moment, "You're right of course, I am famished, but take the usual precautions. Oh and... keep the rest of them out of my sight otherwise, the very cause of my good mood is why I'd rather not look at the ilk in my house... present company excepted that is." He added.

"As you wish, master." Yarvin replied with a pleasant stoicism that was native to experienced servants. "May I beg a question however?" He added.

Dominic hesitated, caught off guard, he was quiet, then he nodded, intrigued. "Go ahead."

"Is it true that the last Hodge was recently murdered?" He asked hopefully.

"It is. I know how you felt about them, so I'd imagine that is a relief, but still, we must hunt down the killer." Dominic reminded his slave with a rare sympathetic voice.

"Of course, master." Yarvin replied, "You will forgive me I hope though, if I am pleased regardless."

"Of course, Yarvin. When we catch the guilty, I'll even let you thank them before they're hanged." Dominic said indulgently before bringing the goblet to his lips.

"That is kind of you, master, I am grateful." Yarvin replied, and bowed appropriately. "I will go see that the shes and the hes travel only by the tunnels and stay away from this room and all the halls leading to your bed chamber so that you need not look at them, and will return with your meal when it is prepared." Yarvin said with crisp professionalism and walked out of the room as Dominic waved him away.

Yarvin had not gone twenty feet from the door after closing it when he saw the first of them. She was a timid thing, newly acquired that morning. He privately called her 'mute' because since her 'initiation' into the house, she hadn't asked for anything, only looked down and shuffled around like a husk. He'd been harder on her precisely because she'd kept pestering him and he couldn't risk her doing that with the master of the house. As soon as she saw him, she froze.

"He's gone, deal with it, slave." He said automatically and in a merciless voice. His eyes were hard and cruel, and she shrank from it without another word. "Now get out, stay out of this room and every one on a path to the master's bedchamber. Use the tunnels to traverse the residence, he doesn't want to see any of you this evening, understood little she?" He asked rhetorically. She understood, he saw it on her face.

She nodded in a small, panicked way, then scurried away from him as fast as she could. He clenched his fist, and glared hatefully at her retreating back.

...Kami Miyako...150 years earlier...

Nua could barely believe the warning Yarvin had given, it seemed so nonsensical. Hodge had been so nice to her when he didn't have to be. She went mute. She put it out of her mind, no reason to repeat it as he requested, but she thought it utterly daft. She followed him obediently to an amazing room, like something out of a dream.

She gasped as she looked around. Thick, deep red drapes hung by broad windows that flooded the room with light while the curtains were open. Nua lowered her gaze to see that the floor had a luxurious carpet, deep red and very thick. She scrunched her toes into it happily and smiled at how good it felt. Two elf servants wearing thigh length maid outfits and smiles waved her over. "Come here so we can measure you, please dear lady." They said sweetly. There was a gleam in their eyes that made her uncomfortable, but their smiles urged her forward. So she approached, disrobed when they said to do so, after a hesitant glance that caused Yarvin to turn his back, and when they ordered her to raise her arms to shoulder height and pulled out a strip of measuring fabric, she followed those directions as well. And if their hands lingered a little too long and their fingers grazed a place or two unexpectedly, she chalked it up to the way they worked, with intimately detailed measurements.

After they were done, the one on the left gestured to her clothing. "You may dress." She said.

The one on the right gestured to a red fabric covered chair, "You may wait there. We will be done soon." She said in the same tone.

Nua obeyed and sat patiently. Yarvin turned back around and stood with quiet professionalism, but she felt a hint of perpetual sadness coming from him. 'Did he lose someone recently? How sad. He's lucky to be in a house like this now though.' She thought and graced him with a gentle smile.

He looked away. 'Too soon.' She thought, and looked away herself, the two who were measuring her had gone into a back room hidden by a curtain, she could hear the sound of material being cut and sewing talk aplenty, and soon the question of what they were working on was answered. They came out holding a black dress with deep red trim at the base, a single solid piece that seemed made to fit her form very closely. A whirling red pattern circled up from the base to come round her bust, and it was clearly made of the most expensive fabric imaginable. Her mouth fell open. "That is... for me?" She asked in surprise.

"Yes, please put it on." They said in unison and clasped their hands together. Nua did so excitedly as soon as Yarvin turned his back again.

"How do I look?" She asked as she spun in the magnificent attire.

"Beautiful. I'm sure master will be pleased." The two maids said and clasped hands tightly between one another. "You're the sort he likes after all." They said with winsome smiles.

Nua sighed deeply. "I hope you're right, you know, when I waited, in the pens I mean, some of the others and I talked. Nobody ever gets away but... sometimes even as we are, we find happiness. I've heard stories of masters who fell in love with their slaves before, and kept them comfortable. Perhaps with the short lives of humans, I can't expect to always be happy, but there is hope, and master Hodge was so kind to me... perhaps... perhaps I can find some little thread of happiness here."

Yarvin looked as if he wanted to speak, but his eyes fell to the maids, and he stayed silent.

The maids approached her from behind and put their hands on her shoulders, then they leaned in and whispered into her ears. "Yes, woo him, pursue him, win his affections, find happiness, we'll be rooting for you." They said, and tittered gleefully as they stepped back.

"Thank you." Nua said gently, "I appreciate your encouragement." She then turned back to Yarvin, "Sir, where do we go now?"

"You are the master's personal attendant, so... you will go attend him." Yarvin said neutrally and he walked briskly out of the room and down the hall.

Nua had to scurry to keep up with him, when they were far beyond the sound of renewed tittering behind them, he stopped and turned to her. "Please listen, do not go near those two, and if you get the chance, run." He whispered hoarsely.

"But even if I ran I'd be caught and..." His hand chopped down decisively, cutting off her words.

"Yes, you'll be a runaway, you'll be sold again and it probably won't be somewhere good, but you must do so anyway." He said urgently, then the sound of a distant door opening cut off his willingness to speak further, and he resumed his purposeful stride, and again she scurried after him.

Yarvin seemed to know where to go, so she followed quickly and without question, and true to his intentions, he swiftly found the master of the house in his private office. When they entered, Yarvin held the door and allowed her to pass him by, she went to the center of the room, knelt, and lowered her eyes as she'd been taught. "I am here, master Hodge."

He set down the document he was holding and looked at her, "Stand." He said simply, she did, and got a quick look around the room. The walls were covered in shelves, lined with many books, row upon row, his desk was a solid dark cherry wood color polished to a shine, several chairs sat at equal intervals along the side walls and a rolling ladder was attached to a rail on an upper shelf. It was a thinking man's work space if ever there was one, the mark of an orderly mind.

"You may go, Yarvin." He said, then Yarvin bowed and backed out of the room, closing the door and leaving them alone.

It was quiet and Nua felt anxious, "D-Does my appearance not please you, master?" She asked nervously, her body trembled a little, and her hands fidgeted at the fingertips.

"No, you look lovely." He said warmly, "But you can't attend me from there, come, stand behind me to my left, and be ready to see to anything I need."

She obeyed, and stood with head bowed in deference for three hours as he went from one paper to another, before at last he set them down and spoke to her. "Pull up a chair, let's talk for awhile, you must be bored." He said patiently.

Her eyes shot up in surprise, but she quickly obeyed and sat facing him behind the desk. She put her hands on her legs just above the knees and clenched her little fingers tightly, she squirmed, not sure what to say.

"It's alright Nua, I'm not going to hurt you, I don't do that here, I thought that was made clear to you." He said sweetly and touched her hand softly. A little welcome smile graced his lips.

She returned it nervously and shifted with further nervousness. "It's just, you're being nice to me, master, and I was so afraid... this is all so new..."

"You'll grow accustomed to it, Nua. Tell me, what do you want out of your life?" He asked gently.

'I want to be free.' She thought instantly, then quashed it before the thought reached her tongue.

"I... I want to be happy." She said.

"Simple enough dream, but difficult in a difficult world, whether in your chair or mine, few are truly happy." Hodge replied with a wry smile and he squeezed her hand.

"I-I know, but... it is what I want" She stammered out.

"Not... 'to serve me' not 'to please me'?" He asked in a mildly teasing voice.

She blushed a deep red, "I... I didn't mean... ah... please forgive my poor words, master!" She exclaimed.

He laughed and shook his head, "No, no, it's alright. It was a good answer, but that's a lie you may want to remember for later use, after all, you'll outlive me by many generations, who knows when you'll need it." He said in a self deprecating manner.

Nua bit her lip, "Master... you've been nice, I don't want to think about that so please don't speak of your death."

"You don't hate humans? After all, our people are at war, you're a slave, I bought you, don't you hate me, and all of us?" He asked curiously.

Nua squirmed again, her lip quivered. "I... I... sir may I speak freely?" She asked.

"Please do." he said leaning back in his chair and waving his hand invitingly before her.

"I'm not stupid, I know war is war and... I understand the fate of those who lose, I am among the captured, but I don't hate you all, no. The one who sent me up on the block, he warned me, so I wouldn't get hurt up there, there was one who brought us food in the pens, he gave us some of his own sometimes when there wasn't enough, and never hit us. And... and you bought me... I have heard stories of what happens to others, terrible things, but you who could do anything, gave me nice clothing and haven't even touched me but to be gentle and reassure me. How can I hate all of you, when I've seen some of you be good to me for no reason at all?" She gave him a reassuring smile.

"Plus..." She started to say and then blushed, before tapering off.

"Go on." He said encouragingly.

"I've heard of... well of some falling in love, and having happiness even... even when they're like me a... a slave." She closed her mouth tight, afraid she'd said too much.

Hodge didn't laugh or get angry, he simply nodded and put his hands together in his lap, "It does happen sometimes, there are sometimes plays about that, a tragedy or comedy involving lovers caught between stations in life. But don't think those are the norm, the law is the law, and humans cannot marry elves."

She beamed. "I understand, master." She said in patient acceptance, 'Perhaps not marry, but if you warm to me, it will feel like it and... it will almost be like being free.' She thought.

"Please bring me some tea and a small meal, and bring an extra cup and a plate for yourself, you need to be at full strength to attend to me." He said and went back to the document he'd set down.

"At once, master." She said and rose, she walked out briskly. The next few days, followed by the next few weeks, were like that. She stayed close at his side attending to him at every turn, she carried papers, brought food and drink, organized his day, she was, save for her sleeping hours and relieving herself, never more than ten feet from his side. When he was not working, she attended him at entertainment, he was a skilled archer and even, in the privacy of his grounds, let her hold a bow, he smiled indulgently when she beat him, and he even rewarded her with a honey cake, which she crammed into her mouth with such graceless eagerness that when she muffled out "Ish sho good masher" through tears of joy, he laughed till he keeled over.

She spoke with him often, and to her constant surprise, he didn't touch her in any intimate way. She did her best to please him in all the ways she could, and gradually the lingering memory of Yarvin's warning faded, though his sad expression never did when he looked at her. Some other servants had similar expressions, but one piece of advice she followed was to avoid the hard eyed maids, they always made her shiver, but without evident reason, as they were never rude but always encouraging to her, and pumping her for details about how she'd win their master over.

Finally one day she was attending to him in his office, and rather than the usual tea, she brought him wine to celebrate the closure of a successful deal. As she approached the door, Yarvin whispered to her again, "Set that down and run." She threw her nose in the air as the warning returned to memory.

"Master likes me, I don't know why you keep telling me to do something like run from him, don't speak that way again, I don't like it." Nua asserted forcefully.

Yarvin reared back as if slapped, then walked swiftly and stiffly away.

Nua entered and poured a glass as soon as she reached Hodge's desk and set the tray down.

She brought a second glass at his direction, and she filled that one for herself. There was a gleam in her eye. And when they'd toasted his success, and finished off two glasses, her courage bucked up. "I... brought a third cup for you if you like, my lord." She said playfully.

He looked at the tray, it was empty but for the bottle. "Right here." She said, and Nua poured some into her glass, then poured that past her lips, before she presented them close to his own, that he may drink from her with a kiss.

For a moment she feared that she'd presumed too much, but then she felt his lips touch hers in her first kiss, it did not stop when he finished the wine she offered him, they fell into one another's arms, and several minutes of fumbled touching came to a pause. "To my bed." He said eagerly and they rushed out of his office and to the door off to one side where he slept, he pulled her in eagerly, and her beautiful dress came off, her arms and legs wrapped around him and she whispered a hungering, "I love you."

She felt him about to whisper it back, before his hungering mouth covered her in a kiss and he entered her, becoming her first. It was a long and passionate night in which she did everything she could to please him completely, leaving him drained to collapse. When they lay entwined in this way, she sighed, "I can't believe that idiot."

"What idiot?" Hodge asked in passing as he stroked her back.

Nua tittered and pressed herself tighter against his chest, heady still with lust and wine coursing through her body. "Nothing that matters my beloved, just something Yarvin said, he's warned me a few times I should run away. What absurdity, why would I run from you? Who would suggest something so foolish?" She giggled, she felt his male organ stir, she grasped it in her hand and drew it to her slick femininity. She eased herself onto him again, and as they rocked back and forth he laughed.

"Who indeed?" He said, so quietly that she missed the words over the sound of their shifting forms as she sat up over him.

It was after that, that they slept, and she smiled as she drifted off. 'This isn't the life I sought... but I am happy at this moment, I can make the best of this life...' She thought, before dreams took her.

She awoke the next morning in a sudden pain as hands yanked at her hair. "Ahh!" She cried out and reached to claw defensively as she was dragged from the bed. She kicked out and flailed in surprise, but there were two pairs of hands and they clearly knew what to do, she heard female laughter as she was being dragged across the floor. "Hodge! Master! Help!" She cried out, but she saw, to her shock, that he was casually sitting up in bed and stretching out.

"Take her out to the back and set her up like the last one, oh and have Yarvin brought out and secured there too." He said indifferently as he slid out of bed.

"Wha... what is happening?!" Nua cried.

"The game is over." Hodge said in a bored voice as he threw on a pair of pants, "You lost, you're filthy now, so I have only two more uses for you." He poured a glass of wine and drank, raising the half empty glass to her in toast. "You were especially easy, if you're wondering." He smirked.

Nua looked at him in pain and confusion as she was dragged out across the floor, she kicked and screamed and called for help, but it did no good, nobody she saw, moved to help her, they cringed in fear or looked at her with pity.

The stairs hurt as she thudded naked down the long walk, she tried to claw at the fingers there, but could find no easy purchase, and the voices only laughed at her efforts. She found herself outside, in the place where she'd won a honey cake, only now where she'd stood before, there was a large pair of beams with cuffs attached that crossed in the middle so that her arms and legs were secured apart and facing away from them. She looked around in terror as soon as she was able, and recognized the two maids out of the corner of her eye.

"What is this, what is going on, why am I..." She tried to ask, only to feel a firm crack across her bottom where a maid slapped her.

"Shut up, slave. It is as the master says, you're filthy now and the game is over." The maids tittered in laughter.

She swallowed, "Game, what game...?"

A maid approached from behind and leaned into her ear to whisper. "His love game, he enjoys setting fools like you up, then when you give yourselves over, the game is over and you get the penalty."

"Penalty?" She whimpered, "You mean he..."

"Right, he never loved you, or even liked you, you were a toy and now he's about to break you before selling you." She giggled again.

"There'll be marks all up and down your back." The other said and as the former stepped away, the latter caressed the smooth skin, "You'll be hit till not an inch of flesh back here is what the gods made, just ugly... ugly scars."

"No..." Nua whimpered, "I... but he loves me... I was going to be happy... we were going to be happy... I was going to make him happy..." She tried to assert, only to find renewed laughter.

"You'll get the chance for that last one, this always makes him happy. You... not so much." The female caressing her back said, then pushed lightly and stepped away.

"Oh, and Yarvin will be out here soon too, master wasn't too happy about his trying to warn you, so... he'll get the same treatment... but while master plays with you, we get to play with him." The nearest maid giggled sadistically.

The truth of their words was made evident when two more slaves came out and set up another crossbeam pair, so that Nua could see the results of her words, and Yarvin was dragged out by a trio of slaves, kicking and shouting all the way. "I didn't do anything! I didn't say anything! I'm loyal! I obeyed! Why am I being punished?! Why?! Why?!" He cried out as he was stripped and fastened to the beams.

Behind her bare body, Nua heard the voice of her owner, "I'm almost disappointed that you were this gullible. The maids told me everything you said every night, oh also, just so you know the one at the pens, he was probably stealing your food and just giving you some of it back because it was fun to watch you beg and praise him. The one at the block, it's his job to keep order, you sell for less if you have to be disciplined, and a kind voice is helpful to order. And so on, all that is just to keep you in line. Honestly with gullibility this great, I'm amazed you took as long as you did to become my whore." He cackled and Nua screamed her denial of his words, she twisted and writhed in her bonds, shaking her body in horrific imitation of her previous evening as she struggled to escape.

Hodge ignored her struggles and wails to approach the desperate Yarvin. "I'm disappointed in you too, you've served in my house for many years, yet you didn't know better than to betray me? You thought a love struck elf whore wouldn't give you up?" Hodge put the handle of his whip under Yarvin's chin and forced his face up. "You were very stupid to trust your own kind, when you yourself are a traitor to one you swore to serve. Nua told on you, all I had to do was ask her. You've got no one to blame but yourself for this, Yarvin." Hodge said, and raising a fist, he punched Yarvin's face hard enough to cause his nose to make a sickening crunch as it broke. "Let me quote this great line from Nua for you. 'I can't believe that idiot.' Yes, you're that idiot." Hodge finished with a mocking laugh.

Hodge then went back to his place behind the whimpering, crying, desperate Nua.

"Alright girls," he shouted gleefully to his maids, "let's make a bet, first one to make their target pass out, gets to pick the next one at auction to play with."

"Yes, master!" The pair said in unison, and laughed happily, it was a long, long time before screams and whip cracks stopped being the only noise anyone heard. Nua though, screamed out the denial, insisting that he loved her, only till the first blow fell, and knocked away her illusions, leaving only pain behind.

When Yarvin woke up, he was in a cage near the auction block. His back was a mutilated mess, that much was certain. He tried to get up and felt a shooting pain from down below, horror filled his consciousness, snapping him awake. The maids had gelded him to win the bet. He started to sob as he waited to live or die before going to the block. 'My king sold me... Nua betrayed me, the maids who turned on me... the ones who dragged me out... the ones who wouldn't help me when I called for help, though we served together in the same house... the ones who put together the instrument of my torment... cowards and traitors... and I... even I betrayed my master's trust... true it was to save a girl, but she betrayed me over her own stupid feelings and desires. Damn... damn... damn!' He thought as his tears fell.

He grabbed his ears, what there was of them, and squeezed them tight enough that they hurt too. 'I want... only death... traitors, traitors all! Never again, I must ensure... everyone pays for what they are...' He thought, wishing he had the strength to rip off what was left of his ears to further abjure his heritage.

'If I live, I'll destroy all of them.' He swore in the quietness of the rising hatred in his mind. When he was brought to the block a few days later, he sold with relative quickness, and he descended unbidden to his new master. The man who bought him spoke first, "I am Sarvis of the house Partouche, serve well, and your life will be a good one."

Yarvin knelt and lowered his gaze, "I will be so fine a servant that your great grandchildren will grow up seeing me in your house, master."

"We will see." Sarvis said thoughtfully, stroking his chin at the odd mix of forceful declaration and abject obedience.

'So will many others.' Yarvin thought, then he rose and followed his new owner.

**AN: So yeah, I worldbuild a lot, even minor characters have backstories, though they may never be revealed. This story though, is going to race ahead pretty fast, probably stop between 20 and 25 chapters. Half the big plot points will probably be hit in the next chapter, with the final three completed in one chapter each after that, followed by an ending that ties it back into the events of God Rising and closes it out.**


	16. In Human Skin

Blood in the Streets

Written by: AtheistBasementDragon

Edited by: The Usual Gang of Drunken Perverted Idiots

Chapter 16: In Human Skin

_...Tira's House..._

Getting into the house of Thousand Mile Astrologer's mother was shockingly easy. Pandora's Actor simply took the form of her daughter before the woman came to the door. When she did, and saw 'her daughter' standing there next to a pretty blonde, she all but jumped into the arms of Pandora's Actor. "My daughter! I'm so happy to see you!" She said joyfully.

Vanysa's eyes were carefully neutral as she searched for the woman's guilt. It was not a strong sense from her, but a fog of shame and remorse covered one space of her memory.

"But... who is this with you?" She asked, turning to Vanysa.

"This is a good friend of mine, her name is Serpina. She's having some... man trouble, and I thought she could do with some of your advice." Pandora's Actor said in a sweet, feminine voice. "She's been a welcome distraction to me since... everything." Pandora's Actor said, momentarily turning 'her' eyes down and away.

"Of course, come in! Please don't just stand outside!" She said enthusiastically and stepped aside. "Nice to meet you, Serpina. My name is Tira." She was more or less what Vanysa expected, right down to the warm introduction, a matronly looking woman on the plump side with short blue hair and gentle green eyes framed by a slightly cherry shaped rounded face. Everything about her screamed 'Mother'. The house was no different, clean and orderly with little nicknacks scattered about, it was the house of the well-to-do without being wealthy. Her simple dress and the presence by the door of a coin purse, along with her swift answering of it, suggested she was planning to go out just then and that she had been interrupted.

Vanysa gave a wistful sigh. Seeing that her daughter was here with a friend, Tira had immediately set aside her plans without even mentioning it, and invited the pair in to talk. Affection radiated from her as she ushered them over to a table in a nice looking little dining area.

The table was smooth but not varnished, of nice looking inexpensive wood but which had been carefully shaped, it still had it's smooth pale cream color. The chairs were the same, and the matronly mother of Thousand Mile Astrologer quickly set the places for tea and sent herself to the kitchen and went about efficiently brewing a pot for her guests.

While she was gone, Vanysa looked to her compatriot. "How did you know what to say to her?" She asked so softly that her voice did not carry, and tilting her head slightly as she met his eyes.

"A doppelganger has a natural ability to read minds, surface thoughts, impressions, that people have of those whose forms we take, so we can ensure they see us as we need them to." He smiled in the form of Thousand Mile Astrologer, and winked.

Vanysa grinned her toothy grin and winked back, a few minutes later, Tira returned. As she poured tea from a very ordinary teapot, she looked over to Vanysa. "So, Serpina, why don't you tell me about this 'man trouble' of yours?" She said in a conspiratorial sort of voice.

Vanysa flushed and promised she owed some 'modest punishment' to Pandora's Actor for this one, everything about his cover story said 'mischief'.

With nothing for it but to proceed, Vanysa chose to speak the subject as best she could without revealing the details. "Well... there's this... man, he's brilliant, he's beautiful, we like the same things... and we work together too."

"Ohhhh, a workplace romance, how 'scandalous'." Tira said dramatically and grasped her cheeks with both hands, closed her eyes, and shook her head. Then she settled down and smiled teasingly, "I know just what that is like."

"You do?" Vanysa asked, intrigued.

"Oh yes... a long time ago, I was... well, Meidhall here knows. Surely she told you?" Tira asked and looked to Pandora's Actor.

Pandora's Actor shook his head. "No, that wasn't my place, mother." He said with a shy, embarrassed voice as he turned his gaze away.

"Well, it doesn't matter now, I..." Tira bit her lip as she tried to speak, "I'm sorry," she hesitated, "it's just still awkward for me, why don't you tell me more first and when I get a little more comfortable, if it will help, I'll talk a bit more about myself." She said and quickly brought a cup to her lips to hide her face with the cup's tilt.

Vanysa gave a gentle smile, more so than she thought she'd offer to the target. "Alright, ah, so we work together a lot."

"What do you do?" Tira asked.

"We study magic, he's my senior, I assist him." Vanysa said, phrasing the odd position she had as best she could.

"Oh, an affair with your boss, even 'more' scandalous!" She said with a salaciously teasing smirk, she rested her chin in the palm of her hand as her elbow hit the table. "Tell me more."

"You didn't tell me your mother was a gossip girl?" Vanysa said to Pandora's Actor with a little laugh.

"She's very discreet, it's alright." Pandora's Actor said, placing hand over heart, he added, "I promise."

"I'll hold you to that." Vanysa said with a mockingly threatening expression as she raised a tiny fist.

Tira giggled, "My Meidhall is telling the truth, I'm very discreet."

"Well, OK then." Vanysa said with faux reluctance. "I'm a right pretty girl, I flirt with him, I work hard, and he values my contributions... but he just doesn't 'do' anything. Why not? I can see he's attracted to me." She frowned.

"Is he married, Serpina?" Tira asked abruptly.

The question was so direct and automatic that it caught Vanysa off guard. It was also... telling that she went to such a place, the fog of guilt began to become clearer to her as she looked at the woman, an affair.

Her eyes went wide, "Tira did you...?" Vanysa asked gently.

Tira's eyes lowered, "Gave it away did I. Sharp one, you are... yes, Meidhall's father. We worked together a long time ago, I was married, her father and I went out on an assignment, working close together, we almost died, when we knew we were going to live, we were so excited and happy that... well, the fruit of that sits next to you now." She looked away, "I felt tremendously guilty about it, and wondered what to say to my husband when I got back. But that was moot, he'd died in an accident while I was away. Still it was such a scandal at the time, we kept it quiet, speaking only in letters until Meidhall came of age to get to know each other, they're very close. He's the only man she listens to. Even today, almost nobody knows any of this."

"So why tell me?" Vanysa asked with surprise.

"Because I could see I reminded you of someone, and how sad that made you. And doing so is the sort of thing I think someone like that would have done. Besides, you're a dear friend of my daughter, and I can see the ache in you, it's a mother's sense, I think I can trust you. I can see what a good person you are." Tira said gently and reached across the table.

Vanysa took the woman's hand in hers, and against her will, her eyes welled up.

"What was she like?" Tira asked. "Your mother, I mean."

Pandora's actor watched the interplay with a sense of awe that was carefully concealed, Tira had hidden depths that his surface reading had not revealed.

"A good woman, I guess, looked a lot like me. She was kind to everyone, but naive, always thought the best of people. She liked to cook and to garden, I couldn't have asked for a kinder parent." Vanysa said softly as she thought back to her childhood. "She couldn't read or write, not even her own name, but she always knew what to say to cheer me up when I was sad. She did everything for me, when we moved from the country to the city to look for work when things went bad where we were, she did whatever it took to keep me fed and give us a roof... I... I never got to thank her for all that she did for me." Vanysa looked away from both of them, unable to meet anyone's eyes.

Tira squeezed her hand, "She knew, I promise you, she knew how much you loved her, and how thankful you were for what she did."

Vanysa sniffed hard, "I hope so, I think if she'd lived, and you met her, you two would have been wonderful friends."

"I think so too." Tira said with a loving smile.

"That is why I hate to do this." Vanysa said softly, reaching for her pouch.

"Do what?" Tira said with a look of confusion on her face.

Vanysa removed the scroll and said, "Sleep, level three." The scroll burned up before the surprised woman's eyes, and she slumped where she lay.

"Vanysa?" Pandora's Actor asked. "What are you doing?"

"What has to be done. Please, lay her somewhere comfortable, I'll just be upstairs for a moment." Vanysa said and stood up, she went to a nearby set of stairs and went up, while below Pandora's Actor picked up Tira's sleeping form and carried her to a couch. He laid her there and posed her comfortably while he listened to the sounds up above.

It was not a large residence, Vanysa quickly found the bedroom, a small but comfortable space with a nightstand beside it, she went directly for it and pulled open the drawers, she found a small, ornate box with a little silver lock on the front of it. The box was probably the most expensive single item in the house, stained wood with ornate Theocracy emblems etched all over it, a glowing pair of letters for D and T in the center indicating at least a little magic was used on it. A small silver lock held it shut, but it was clearly just for show.

Vanysa 'turned' her hand and used her talon to pry it effortlessly open. Just as she thought, letters, she shuffled through them and smiled proudly. She put them back in the box and closed it gently, then descended the stairs. "I found what we needed." Vanysa said and she walked over to where the woman slept.

"What was it?" Pandora's Actor asked.

"Our lord, as always, was exactly right." Vanysa's face shone brightly as she pressed the box into the hands that still looked like those of Meidhall. "Just as Tira is Thousand Mile Astrologer's mother, Dominic is her father, he's the one she had an affair with."

"You found the proof so quickly? How?" Pandora's Actor asked, mystified.

"Easy, the way she spoke, communicating through letters, no one like her throws those away, I figured she kept and reread them, late at night when lonely and wanting. Same time of night I spend thinking of the people I miss, that meant keeping them accessible but safe. So a nightstand where she slept, and a little treasure box. Very predictable I guess." Vanysa said with a dismissive shrug and a regretful tone of voice as she looked down at the sleeping Tira.

She shifted her form fully over to that of a demoness and loomed over her. "Thank you for listening to me, Tira, I'm sure you would have given great advice, and I was telling the truth, you really do remind me of... her, my mother I mean. But this is war, and I'm afraid all wars have casualties that shouldn't be." She said solemnly to the sleeping woman, "But I'll make it quick, you don't deserve to suffer." She held her talons over the woman, and then quickly thrust two down, straight into her gentle green eyes, where she pierced the woman's brain. She spasmed for a moment, and Vanysa wiggled her fingers to further cut apart the brain within, just to be sure... and then the body was still as it accepted its death.

"Was that really necessary?" Pandora's Actor asked through the voice of Meidhall.

"I think so. If you disagree... big brother, you should have objected before I did it. You're one of the three geniuses of Nazarick, smarter than I and more learned, either you knew what I was going to do before I did it, or you trusted I'd make the right call. Either way, it's too late now." Vanysa said, wiping her clouded eyes with her clean hand. "If it matters, she wasn't wrong, she reminded me so much of my mother, right down to the naivete, seeing good where there just 'wasn't'. That caused my mother a lot of pain, and cost Tira here her life. Maybe... if there is another world, they can be friends there?" Vanysa wondered whimsically for a moment as she wiped her talons clean of blood, eye, and brain matter and shook the hand to dry it off.

"Das ist true meine kleine schwester." He said with a shake of his head, the blue braids of Meidhall bounced behind him, and his form shifted to that of the corpse on the couch. "I know what you intend now. It will work."

"Yes, it will. I will carry the threat to Thousand Mile Astrologer after wrapping and transporting the corpse of her mother, you wait here big brother. Just be a good 'hostage' for now." Vanysa said, perking up a bit and winking at him as she took the preserving wrap that Pandora's Actor pulled out of his pocket dimension and wrapped up the corpse of Thousand Mile Astrologer's mother.

As she did so, Pandora's Actor said, "Perhaps you should speak with Solution first. Thousand Mile Astrologer is a Black Scripture member, one of the champions of humanity. I have, in mein vater's guise, seen that they can be powerful relative to others, if not ourselves. Can you take her if she reacts with violence?"

Vanysa thought that over long and hard. "Perhaps not... very well, I'll go back to the hotel for now, I'd like to check that 'other' one out again. I'll see Meidhall tomorrow, you just wait here, take the mother's form, and keep the act up." She replied.

A few minutes later it was done, the body was transported to Nazarick and a now human-shaped Vanysa left the house and headed for her room at the inn.

...Within Raymond's Manor...

Solution moved with easy confidence through Raymond's home, her feather duster swept with perfect waste free motion over countertops and bookshelves, and she had a flawless smile affixed to her beautiful perfect face.

Raymond's struggled to keep the surprise from his face when he saw the way she worked. 'The ideal maid.' He thought as he watched her graceful steps while she moved throughout the house.

"I'm amazed." Nua said breathlessly as Solution polished a countertop to a reflective shine absolutely effortlessly. The pair looked at their reflected faces in the wood. Solution's hands were on her hips and she nodded with smart satisfaction. "I've been a house slave for the better part of one hundred and forty years, with the exception of a few months here or there in the fields before I built a reputation among wealthy houses for my skills. And in all that time I've never seen anyone clean so thoroughly or efficiently as you."

Solution folded her fingers into her palm and brought them up, she blew on them and wiped them smugly against the breast of her outfit. "Well no, you wouldn't, not outside of Nazarick. It has the best of everything. As a maid demon, I was born to see to the house of a master, and to fight on their behalf. I have no other reason to be, it's why I served Jaldabaoth, and now how I serve Nazarick and the Sorcerer King. I and my sisters are the best there is, and that is all there is to it." She said with clear pride in her voice.

"I can't argue with results." Nua said with a defeated shake of her head.

Solution didn't respond, there was no need, her work spoke for her, all she needed to know was the layout and where things were kept, and she slipped into the routine as if she'd been there for a lifetime. Within a day she started ignoring the other servants except to deal expressly with Nua, who she looked at as the coordinator for tasks.

That night however, she met with Raymond alone in his private office. "So I'm going out tonight." She said, "Give me a file." She ordered.

Raymond reached into his drawer and pulled one out. She opened the folder and looked at it, then looked at him. "What is this?" She asked in disbelief.

"Is there a problem?" He asked, taking his seat and pulling out several blank papers and a quill.

"For me?" Solution asked with a smirk. "No, but you surprise me. This is a kid, he can't be over fifteen."

"He's the sole heir, he's fourteen, and he's got to go." Raymond said calmly. "I'll admit I've deferred a bit due to age but..." he spread his hands apart in dismay, "When somebody tells you who they are, believe them."

"Why the change?" She asked in idle curiosity as she flipped through the pages.

"He inherited a lot after the death of his mother at the battle north of Crossroads. He's the sole heir now, and he's often boasted about how his mother was 'too soft' and that 'the ways of weak women' would not be allowed to taint the rule of his estate." Raymond explained as he dipped his quill in the inkwell.

"You'll have him killed for what he might do?" She asked with a blissful expression on her face.

"Is it a problem for you to end the life of a child?" Raymond asked, somewhat sympathetically and with a brief moment of disbelief.

"Not at all. I'm a maid demon, my master said to obey you within certain parameters, this fits those parameters. So I'll do it. It won't bother my conscience, if anything, I'll enjoy it. I just didn't expect to be working for a demon in human skin." She said with her monstrous smile splitting her face.

Raymond let a troubled frown cross his face. "Did your master tell you what I used to do?" He asked seriously as he looked up at her.

"No, it wasn't necessary." Solution replied. "Why?"

"I was a Black Scripture, and I was damn good. We exterminated tribes of demihumans, beastmen, heteromorphs, anything. Right down to the children. I won't say it never bothered me, I know we lost a few over the years who felt guilty over what they did for our country, deserters... most people contemplate it at some point when faced with the grimness of necessity. I didn't. Though like them... yes, I thought of it sometimes." Raymond explained to her with a stony look and clear eyes.

"And?" She asked in a largely indifferent tone with a mild huff of impatience.

"I didn't because I believed that however bad it was, it had to be done for a larger cause. From a practical perspective, the life of a child is not worth more than that of an adult, nor a human from a demihuman. Life is life after all. It was my job to end it then, because it was necessary and now 'this' is necessary. So, can you kill this one then or...?" He asked confidently, holding out his hand as if to accept the file back.

She closed it sharply and narrowed her eyes at him. "It'll be no problem. You can mark the task complete. Anything special you want done with it?" She asked of her target.

"No, doesn't matter if he dies, disappears, or whatever. Might be better if he vanishes, but that might be hard to manage." Raymond replied as he stroked his chin. Solution giggled and picked up a piece of paper, before he could ask what she was doing, her giggle became a full blown laugh and the paper dissolved to nothing.

"Not for me." She said sweetly.

"I suppose not." He said. "Then I leave it to you."

"Good decision." She said with her bizarre and inhuman smile on her face. She set the file down, and then to his shock, 'oozed' through the closed door behind her as she backed out.

As she left, he reflected on what she'd called him. "A demon in human skin... yes, perhaps she's right. Perhaps we've been fooling ourselves about our decency all this time, or perhaps the only way to make a decent world is to be a demon first?" He contemplated as he walked out of his office and down the hall to his room. As the door closed behind him and he laid himself beneath the covers of his bed, replaying the events of his life from the first mission to the present day. 'Are we all just demons in a different skin after all? Well, if that is so, I might as well be good at being myself.' He thought to himself, and despite the troubled expectation that he would find little sleep, he drifted off with a satisfied smile on his face.

Night's cloak was an ally, and Solution faithfully abided by its dictates, slipping from shadow to shadow until she reached the side of the house. Climbing the wall was easy for the slime, the huge building was made of rough cut stone, so all she had to do was use the natural hand and foot holds that it provided for the agile maid. The window was trickier, it was locked from the inside. She let her hand become liquid and slide into the gap, extending her arm, she flipped the latch and lifted the window open. She listened carefully. Nobody was around, this room was empty. She went to the nearby wall and pressed her ear to it. "Snoring?" She said softly, "Sweet dreams, sweet dreams forever." She tittered a bit and, taking off her dress and laying it reverentially into her pocket dimension, she oozed her way through the tiniest passages of the wall, coming through to the other side.

The bedroom was large, what you'd expect from wealth. She looked around out of passing curiosity. The art might have been the best, or the worst, but it looked to be of human glorification, with Theocracy soldiers shown stamping down on the neck of a demihuman, so all she could do was snort in contempt.

She approached to touch the painting, "I should dissolve this too... such... trash." Then she withdrew her hand in spite of what she said. "Leave no evidence." She reminded herself and went to the bedside of her target.

She climbed onto it, and straddled her target, he woke up and found himself staring up at her ample breasts and her seductive smile. "You're a lucky one." She said to him as she put two fingers over his lips to still his attempt at speech. "Would you like to be inside of me, young man? Young mighty lord...?" She asked duskily as her shadow wreathed face disguised her. She took his hand and put it to her breast, letting him feel her soft flesh.

Lorem couldn't believe what he was seeing when he woke up. There was a woman on top of him, he tried to say something, her fingers covered his lips, and then her other hand took his and began to move him over her skin. 'Which of my maids is this... or is it one of my elves? I can't see her face... just... wait... what did she say?!' His thoughts were frantic, excited, thrilled, confused, and scattered.

He couldn't speak.

She removed her fingers from his lips, she began to grind against him, "This isn't your tongue down here, is it?" She asked seductively teasing him as his hands moved to explore her on their own, "Well, would the young lord like to be inside this beautiful woman?" She asked again. "Speak your desire... and see it fulfilled beyond your wildest imagination." She whispered as her hands caressed from his chest and his face.

'What am I thinking, of course I have to answer that! Doesn't matter if I don't see her face, she doesn't need that anyway!' Lorem thought and he grinned enthusiastically. "Yes, yes I would." He said boldly.

"Would what...? Say it, oh bold lord on high." She moaned out to him.

As she ground harder against him, he gasped out, "Yes... I want to be inside you."

"Perfect... then I will grant your wish." She said salaciously.

Lorem was thrilled, as her face descended to kiss him, he contemplated that no, he did not recognize this one, and that was his first point of concern. It was the only hint of danger he had, before, to his horror, her face began to melt and cover him. He tried to cry out, but it covered his mouth, his nose, he tried to pull the melting 'flesh' away, but her body completely engulfed his own, his thrashing was reduced to nothing in only a mere moment, he tried to scream, only for his mouth to then be filled by the substance that composed what had been a woman a moment earlier.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and got up. She stretched out languorously and then spoke to the prisoner desperately moving inside her. "You got your wish." She said with a giggle. "And you'll get to stay inside me for quite awhile."

Lorem heard every word from inside the monster that had engulfed him, he tried to thrash, but there was no way out, he was trapped in an endless dark. The walls around him seemed to be both impenetrable and absent and endlessly elastic all at once. He flailed in frustration. "What did I do?! What is this?! Why is this happening to me?! Momma! Momma!" He tried to scream, and then the pain hit. His flesh dissolved and though he couldn't see it, he felt it. "Mommy!" He cried out in the endless dark one more time, and then he screamed no more, as his tongue was dissolved away.

"No screaming, your voice is annoying." She said to the victim trapped within. She rolled her eyes.

"At least you're delicious." Solution declared happily to the victim trapped within, "I'll keep tasting you until it is time for the next one. Don't worry, it'll only last another... oh twenty hours I guess." She giggled as she felt him flail in agony and horror inside herself as he contemplated such enduring torment. She then walked through the wall and took her dress out of her pocket dimension. She put it back on, climbed out the window, used her slime ability to close and latch the window just the way it had been, and slipped into the dark, back to Raymond's estate, with an expression of the utmost satisfaction on her face. Her one regret was that she couldn't keep him alive for much, much longer, since she'd need space for the next one.

When she got back, Nua opened the door for her and let her in. "You're up late." Solution said noncommittally.

The elf's face was still red, "I went down early, had a lot on my mind."

Solution brushed it off and walked past, then looked back, "Word of advice, from one servant to another."

"Yes?" Nua asked.

"You elves are a lot like humans, you get yourselves all bound up over nonsense. I am a maid demon, bound to serve the victor over me. You are not. So just do what you want and quit agonizing about it all the time, and you might be a whole lot happier." Solution smiled as she spoke, but her tone was as dismissive as if she were giving a report on the day's weather. "Not that I care or anything, but if you're not directing yourself, someone else will do it for you, and from what I've seen, except for one or two, nobody has been directing you to any benefit of yours for a really long time."

Nua swallowed and gave a nod that was, for a moment, very timid. "Thanks for the advice." She said and closed the door before she walked away.

Solution didn't respond, she went straight up the stairs to Raymond's office. As she expected, he was still at his desk and still writing. "Still working, I see." She said pointedly.

"No. Finished working. Slept, now working again. I'm a Cardinal, I don't get to sleep for many hours at a time. You've finished working, I assume?" He asked and set his quill down to give her his attention.

"It's done, just as I said, he is dead, disappeared and will never be found." She replied with a confident smile and a heavy lidded look at the cardinal.

"Good." Raymond said indifferently. He was about to let a little curiosity rise and ask just how she'd done it... but on further reflection, he stayed quiet. 'Somehow I do not think I want to actually know the answer to that question.' He thought grimly.

"Uh huh, but... why make him disappear? Why not leave the body for discovery? I could have just as easily stabbed him, or poisoned him, or anything else? Why is this better?" Solution asked as she sat down opposite him. She propped her feet up on his desk, and enjoyed the look of mild annoyance on his face when she did so.

"A few things. First, the boy didn't make his position on anything publicly known yet. Even I didn't know for sure, I guessed based on his personality. However... his 'mother' was another matter. She was an officer in General Boabdil's army. General Boabdil is something of a 'softy' you might say. Dominic's radicalism never sat well with him. His mother was like that too. Do you see where I'm going with this?" He asked as he spread his hands out on the desk, as if drawing a connection between one thing and the other.

Solution shook her head. "Not even a little bit."

Raymond rubbed his face, "OK, I'll spell it out more clearly. With her death and his rise, anyone with any sense would be worried about the heir's position. Would he take after his mother? Would he 'resent' Dominic for sending his mother north where she died? By making him disappear, a lot of suspicion will fall on the Agante or on Dominic personally. Not many can make a noble disappear from his home in the middle of the night, and as far as anybody knows, Dominic is the only one who 'might' have had a motive."

"So even though the kid might have supported Dominic, you're counting on the general perception that he would have gone the other way, and people accusing the cardinal... at least in private." She said, simplifying the explanation quite a bit.

"Yes, that." He said dryly.

"Oh, OK. Doesn't matter, just curious." She replied.

Raymond let out another sigh, feeling like he might be doing that a lot with this one. "We'll be expanding the list by the way."

"Expanding?" She asked doubtfully. "How?"

"To some of the ones most likely to cause problems later, nobody obvious, I hope you're OK with a little travel. Dominic has some plans here at home, I'm not sure what just yet, but things will be getting ugly... uglier, I mean, before much longer." Raymond replied.

Solution shook her head. "I'm afraid I have to decline."

He looked at her with surprise. "Decline?" He asked.

"Yes, my job is to help and protect 'you' in 'this' city alone, and to remove targets 'here' and nowhere else. If you want more done, you'll need to find help elsewhere, perhaps my lord would offer more support, but I advise against asking for it when you've been given so much already." She said matter-of-factly as she folded her arms defiantly in front of her.

"Damn." He said, "I'll have to see what I can do."

"The Black Scripture was recalled recently from the Southern Holy Kingdom, wasn't it? They should be close by at this point, didn't they follow you before? In fact, aren't you head of 'all' the scriptures? Can't you get them to support you?" She suggested expectantly.

"In theory, yes, in practice... most of the administration supports Dominic, and the scriptures tend to go one of two ways, fanatically loyal to the Theocracy or... they quit. The Black is a little different, they're humanity's best, strength matters more than anything else, so they tend to form their own opinions. I might win over a few out of loyalty to me, but I won't count on any one of them." He explained, then with a frustrated sigh, he picked up a blank piece of paper. "It is worth a try though. But if it fails, are you willing to at least kill the ones I talk to, to keep me from being exposed?"

She thought about it for a moment, "Yes, that much I will do. But no more." She replied.

"That'll do. I appreciate it, Lady Solution." He answered and started to write.

Ginedine and Berenice remained exceedingly busy over the few days that followed their meeting in Raymond's home, however unless one were party to their machinations, knowing what exactly would have been impossible to say. They had human servants of unquestioned loyalty running back and forth to the farming facilities beyond the city preparing manufacturing grounds and farms for 'city support' and ensuring that the slave quarters were properly built, as well as that their production facilities could meet the wartime demand for food and goods that... they hoped they'd never have to deliver.

It was the better part of a week before they could visit it in person, ostensibly on government business so that they would not be thought to be actual stakeholders in the venture.

"So, this is it?" Ginedine said with a haughty voice as he walked with the slowness of his years at the head of a group of elf attendants. The arch above the entrance of the facility was large and made of wrought iron, and there a great sign read 'Think of Tomorrow'.

"It is." Berenice replied no less arrogantly, similarly trailed by elf attendants from their estates. Beside them at both ends were a dozen humans each. The functionaries of the Slane Theocracy's bureaucratic service.

"A gallows at the entrance?" One of the humans said curiously.

"A reminder at the entrance." Berenice said calmly. "We are outside the walls here, one reminder is worth one hundred guards. So the company leaders thought it was best to keep these at the main entrance."

The bureaucrat snorted in arrogant but dismissive approval. He didn't comment on the whipping posts. Berenice looked smugly confident, 'I may be a genius. They'll be thinking about those all day.' She thought to herself, such a firm display would give them the impression of a hard facility to such a degree that they'd barely notice that the quarters were somewhat better than the norm and that though they had the required number of guard postings, most of those postings were unable to actually cover most of the grounds.

"They've spent a great deal on the walls, was that really necessary?" A finance minister asked.

"Again, we are outside the walls of Kami Miyako, anything less, and hope may rise. Would you give the beasts hope and facilitate an escape?" Ginedine asked, putting an edge to his elderly voice. "I insisted that they spare no expense in security, given that we put so much public money into these loans."

The finance minister did not voice further objection, it would have been impolitic to do so. Ginedine counted his lucky stars that such figures were not creative thinkers, the walls could double as a means to keep intrusion out, and obscure vision of what went on within.

"How many elves will these facilities hold?" One of the functionaries asked in a whiny, nasally voice commonly associated with the cheapest of people.

"At the present stage?" Berenice inquired with a hint of pride.

A round of nods met her question.

"From what we read, they're supposed to hold over three thousand workers and five hundred guards each, slightly above the minimum, but by shorting the workers on food and keeping them in restraints they can keep security tight." Berenice replied, her matronly expression belying her terrible words.

"Impressive." The finance minister said thoughtfully.

"Agreed, they open these tomorrow, all the warehoused and held purchases will be delivered in the afternoon, from there after a day of orientation and instruction, everything will be in full swing, we'll have enough food and materials to supply the soldiers and civilians of the Theocracy for miles around for the duration of the war, and it will be done at a minimal cost since they'll need to spend most of the war repaying the loan that got them off the ground." Ginedine wrung his hands cleverly and the eyes of the bureaucrats gleamed as they understood.

"I see, so if, or when they go under when demand drops off, all this reverts back to the state and we can sell it off to raise money for rebuilding. But while demand is greatest they'll make almost nothing because we'll be taking loan payments back, in addition to getting steeply discounted food, swords, and so on. Brilliant." The finance minister laughed gleefully, applauding at the idea.

"You will have the full support of the finance and budgeting department." The finance minister said enthusiastically. "Just keep the stakeholders' eyes on the profit they think they'll make."

"Same goes for the LES management office." A younger, harder looking woman said happily.

"LES?" Berenice asked. "Aren't you the Slave Management and Security Department?"

"Yes, but we like to go by 'The Department of Long Eared Sheep'. It's funnier that way." She grinned with her hands on her hips and let out a somewhat sadistic laugh.

Ginedine and Berenice gave a look at one another, then calling upon their best acting skills, they started to laugh, along with the rest of the functionaries.

**AN: Well another chapter ends, currently working on a few different ones, hopefully will have 2-3 chapters ready tomorrow, had trouble focusing today for some reason, so... well I guess it happens. Blood in the Streets will be the next arc to be completed, just be aware that some pretty dark stuff will go down by the end of it, and given that you just saw another aspect of Vanysa that was not so nice... which also fits with her nature as someone more or less created in Nazarick and being now more heavily influenced by her demonic body than her former human state... well 'dark' is kind of inevitable. And as Ainz said, 'The gloves are off'. Truth be told I was of two minds on Vanysa assassinating Tira, at first glance it seems unlike her, but given the circumstances it was the only real option. Tira could at the least have identified Vanysa, or mentioned the visit to someone, or Meidhall could have learned of a visit that she'd never made... a lot could go wrong as long as Tira lived, even if she'd been a captive, all of that being prevented with her death and Pandora's Actor replacing her. It fits the pragmatic and ruthless nature of both Nazarick and Demons. And for all the virtues of Vanysa, at the end of the day, she's a demonic torturer and has a wide sadistic streak. Excessive mercy would just feel odd. Leave reviews and let me hear your thoughts.**


	17. Shared Motivations

Blood in the Streets

Written by: AtheistBasementDragon

Edited by: The Usual Gang of Drunken Perverted Idiots

Chapter 17: Shared Motivations

**AN: Just so you know, there is an Overlord Fanfiction wiki hosted by fandom. It is Overlord-fanfiction dot fandom dot com. If you're an author or a reader, well this if adopted, could be very useful, great way to not only find good material but for the more complex ones, find key details, character sheets, etc. It's brand new, but... well everything good starts somewhere. :)**

...The Streets of Kami Miyako...

Vanysa was feeling better than she thought she would as she left Tira's home. She wiped her eyes once again, but it was almost unnecessary, the emotion she'd felt was fading into memory. 'Is this what it is to be a demoness? Two years ago I could never have done that to her. For that matter, could I have done it yesterday? Have I lost myself, or found myself, or simply changed?' She turned those thoughts over in her head like a child inspecting a new and previously unknown object, as if it could be understood if only examined enough.

It didn't change the fact that a smile began to rise unbidden at her full, ruby lips that turned many a head as she walked past. She did not simply stroll, she sauntered the way only a woman with flawless hips could do, and boldly met the eyes of the men who passed her by. She graced them with her charming expression, but moved past each with utter disinterest in them. "I should just relax and enjoy how good it feels to be useful to my lord. What is it they say?" She said to herself as she cut through an alley alone, "Only the will of Nazarick matters."

It didn't take all that long to get back to the inn, so she was still contemplating these things when she reached the front desk. "Send Enlaith up to room two eighteen." She ordered in an authoritative voice, catching the desk worker off guard.

She did not wait for confirmation, she simply walked away assuming there was no way her instructions would not be followed. She took a seat at the small table in the room as soon as she arrived, and waited, watching the door and drumming her fingers.

She had no reason to doubt the obedience of the desk worker, a few minutes later there was a knock at the door.

"Enter." Vanysa said in a charming voice.

Enlaith opened the door. 'Oh, by whatever gods love elves... what does she want? She's alone... those eyes, they're like those of a demon...' She thought, her heart pounded in her chest, she felt herself start to sweat.

"Enter." Vanysa repeated, "And close the door."

Enlaith bit her lip for a moment, "Yes mistress." She said, and closed the door gently behind her, that little 'click' noise was barely audible, yet to her it was like the sound of a terrible storm outside a bedroom window.

"Come here." Vanysa said calmly.

She watched as Enlaith took small, delicate steps in her direction, it was a common way to move, probably one she was trained to undertake. She kept her eyes on the elf woman, she could see more deeply into her now, it was not all clear, but the longer she looked, the more she knew...

Then Enlaith was before her, and she sank to her knees, looking down at the floor.

Vanysa shook her head, that would not do. She put a finger under Enlaith's chin and lifted her gaze upwards so that they were compelled to lock eyes.

She tried to look away from the storm gray of Vanysa's sadistic gleam, but a small shake of Vanysa's head told her not to do that. The pounding in her heart became more frantic. 'Gods, what is it that she wants already?!' Enlaith began to grow frustrated.

"Tell me about yourself, Enlaith." Vanysa said with a charming smile and a soft voice that conflicted deeply with the hard, narrow eyes.

Enlaith's mouth fell open, of all the things she might have expected to hear, that was not one of them. "M-Mistress, I do not understand?" She asked.

"Do you not know who you are, where you come from, what you like and do not like, what you want?" Vanysa said teasingly, she stuck out her tongue a little to show she was being playful.

Enlaith thought back to her childhood, the time she had, in innocent whimsical, childish cruelty, she had taken up a rock and thrown it at a bird. To her shock, the rock actually hit, the bird fell to the grass with a broken wing. It flapped helplessly as she'd watched in horror, understanding what she had done. She'd run to grab her father, to ask him to help, but when she'd come back, the snake was already there. The flapping had stopped, the bird looked up at the snake, frozen in its terrible eyes, unable to move under its hypnotic gaze. She'd tried to rush to drive the serpent away, only to feel the firm grip of her father's hand on her little shoulder. She'd looked up to him, tears in her young eyes, but he'd shaken his head. "Such is this world, you can only prolong the suffering you've caused, watch, learn, let it end." She'd whimpered, but obeyed, and the snake engulfed the bird with ease, as the bird was consumed, it fell on it's side, and caught a glimpse of her seeing it be eaten. Though she knew it could not be so, the eyes of the bird looked accusing, and those few minutes had never left her memory.

'So now it is my turn.' She thought, 'You got your justice, little bird, even if it took long enough.' She sighed, remembering her father's advice and chose to face 'her' serpent. She held her eyes to those of the guest she was bound to serve. "I was born a free elf in the far south, I had two brothers and a sister, I was the baby of the lot and my mother died giving me life. We moved north looking for work when our farm failed, and before the war with your kind, my sister was taken by the levy and sold by our king, he raised money for projects that way. Father turned to drink out of guilt, and died in an accident due to his drunkenness. My older brother was levied for the war of the king when war broke out with your people. I don't know what happened to him, but he never came home, I assume he is dead too." She sniffled a little, but kept her face firm, determined not to shame herself.

"I was captured by chance on my way to the front to try to find out what happened to him, and sold to a large farming estate where I served as a maid in the house. I like music and dancing, I like... liked... sweets." She paused when Vanysa looked confused.

"Mistress, is this not what you wanted?" Enlaith asked obediently.

"Yes." Vanysa said, "But what do you mean you 'liked' them, do you not now?" She asked curiously.

Enlaith shook her head, "I probably do, I don't know. I haven't had anything sweet in over a hundred years, mistress."

Which was why her eyes all but bugged out of her head when Vanysa took a honeycake out of her side pouch and offered it out. "Try this and tell me."

Enlaith looked at it, salivating, she almost reached out to snatch it away but froze in mid-reach, looking again to the sadistic eyes and certain this was some kind of trick. When Vanysa nodded, she reached out the rest of the way and crammed it into her mouth as if afraid it would be taken from her, it was an explosion of flavor the likes of which she'd forgotten she ever knew.

She started wiping liquid happiness from her eyes as she tried to chew the sticky, delicious treat.

Vanysa watched mirthfully as the elf slave went almost mad with happiness at the unexpected treat, and she could not keep a smile of her own at bay, more and more details of the girl were becoming clear as little details came out, the incident with the bird was stark, it made her at first wonder what else she'd done, but when she saw the child's wail and understanding, it was readily obvious that this was not a monster she could prey upon. 'Maybe Tira was right too though, perhaps the good she saw in me is just... limited, if I can enjoy her enjoyment.' Vanysa thought idly.

"I love it, Mistress." Enlaith said when she was finally able to swallow.

"Well, continue." Vanysa said as she sat back to listen.

Enlaith finished the cake as fast as she could bear to do, her eyes darted around, as if wondering if there was some hidden trap around her that she could neither see nor comprehend, waiting to snatch her up, the demonic eyes had not become gentle, she still felt like that bird from her youth, but the voice, the actions, did not match. She heaved a mental sigh as she swallowed and resolved to continue.

"I do like singing, but I'm bad at it. I don't remember any of the songs of my country anymore though, I worked in various estates usually as a maid, but sometimes as a potion maker. I learned about them from a girl I worked with before she was sold. Eventually, about seven years ago, I was sold to this inn. I have been here ever since." Enlaith finished and closed her lips tight to show that she was finished.

Vanysa felt the layers of fog peeling away around her other memories, there were a few murders under this one's belt, a fog still hiding them, she needed more to be sure. "Tell me about... Tarkin's death. Why did you kill him?" Vanysa sprang the question on her suddenly, and the shock of the question caused Enlaith to bring the memory to the fore, making it stand out even in the fog.

"H-How do you know... that was a hundred years ago...?" Enlaith looked at Vanysa and her face twisted in terror, for an elf to kill a human... there was no more tortuous penalty than there was for that.

"How about Jonas then?" Vanysa asked with a very small, knowing smile on her face.

"That... That was sixty years ago, you're not old enough, you couldn't know them...?" Enlaith voiced it as a kind of accusation.

"No, I'm not." Vanysa whispered, "But when you're like 'this' you don't need to be." She said and let her wings pop out, and her demonic form take hold.

Enlaith was about to scream, but firm talons pinched her lips shut suddenly and held her fast.

She tried to flail, but the demoness held her fast.

"When you calm and silence yourself, I will release you, do not run, do you understand?" Vanysa asked patiently but firmly.

She repeated the statement four more times before it sank in, and Enlaith finally calmed down to a steady shaking. When she did, she rubbed her now free lips with her hand, and asked, "How do you know about them?" Her voice was that of the dead and defeated, with her secret known, there was no future for her.

"Simple, I saw it. In your head, I can see guilt like you can see me, smell it like you smell flowers, taste it like you tasted that honey cake. The prouder you are of something you've done, the more obvious it is, the more ashamed you are, the harder it is for me to detect." Vanysa explained with a knowing smile.

Enlaith looked doubtful. "Prove it." She said with disbelief.

"Chirp chirp. I sure hope there are no naughty elf girls out today throwing rocks at random innocent birds today, chirp, chirp, big damn chirp." Vanysa replied smugly.

Enlaith's face went pale. "I believe you. I shouldn't doubt a demoness sitting in front of me but..." She swallowed.

"Why did you kill them? From what I can see, they didn't deserve it. If they did, I wouldn't see what you have done." Vanysa explained as she asked.

"Bad luck." Enlaith said indifferently, "Maybe they didn't deserve it, but both occasions... well their hiring meant that some slaves might get... how do I explain this..." She clenched her fists tight and shook from down on her knees.

"As best you can." Vanysa said encouragingly, "But know that if you lie to me, even once, however small a lie it might be, I will know it." She said sharply.

Enlaith swallowed again. "It was about how those systems worked, elves, like humans, form families, even in our captivity it can happen. But our only chance to stay together as a family, other than when under the rule of a kind master, is to have skills that make us necessary. So that we can't be sold off. Each of the humans I killed over the years, was killed because they were a threat to a family being broken apart by sale."

"They in charge of sales?" Vanysa asked in a confused voice, Enlaith shook her head.

"No, mistress. They were hired for jobs that would have made one or more slaves obsolete, and would have resulted in one or more families being broken up and scattered about on the foul winds of a flesh barker's breath. They weren't necessarily bad men, but they had the misfortune to take the wrong jobs. So, they had to go and that was all there was to it. Wrong place, wrong time, wrong side." She said plainly.

"I see." Vanysa said and stroked her golden chin in thought.

"So what happens now, Mistress? Do you turn me in, do you... well you're a demoness..." She asked with the calm tranquility of the bird in her memory as it accepted it was going to be devoured.

"Well. That makes for a bit of a... disappointment." Vanysa said with a regretful voice and she almost whimsically snapped her fingers.

"I'm sorry, mistress?" Enlaith asked in a confused voice.

"I can't punish you for that." Vanysa explained. She leaned forward and caressed Enlaith's cheek longingly, "I've never... gotten... an elf before, I was curious what it would be like to find a guilty one of you to make into my prey. But I can't punish you for doing what I just did myself. It's just disappointing." Vanysa said, snapping her fingers again before giggling just a little bit madly.

Enlaith fidgeted down on her knees. "I feel like I'm supposed to apologize for the disappointment, mistress but... somehow I can't feel it." She said as she contemplated just what the demoness might have done with her. She managed the joke with some difficulty, her heart had gone from racing like she'd run for miles or fought a battle, to a gut wrenching stillness as the half mad laughter struck her ears. 'What am I dealing with? A demoness in Kami Miyako is reading my life as a book... Am I in hell? Is she a goddess passing judgement?' She wondered, and as those and other grim questions came to mind, she found herself still unable to bring her body to move away despite her fear.

Vanya tapped her talons together rhythmically, creating a sound that could almost have been slowly waltzed to as she spoke. "It doesn't matter, as a matter of fact it is perhaps convenient. You lack compunction about what you see as necessary, you acted cleverly to carry out your kills and you got away with it. So with that in mind..."

The demoness stopped her rhythmic tapping and her hand moved out faster than the elf could see, so that she took Enlaith by her chin to ensure she could not look away. "Guess what, yer right lucky, yah gets ta help me help mah god."

Enlaith might have felt trapped, she might have felt frightened, but the sudden country peasant accent and the great widening of the narrowed eyes spoke to an even more terrifying sort of madness, like a child in a way, a way that only children and the truly evil can be. 'Chirp chirp... chirp chirp...' Enlaith thought to herself, remembering the casual cruelty she'd shown when she indifferently chose to try to hurt the little bird. That indifferent, bored malice in a demon before her, she wanted to stand and flee, but still she could not make her limbs obey her.

"Y-Your god? What do you mean, who do you mean, what are you talking about?" She asked as the razor talons of the demoness caressed her tender cheek. Her eyes were wide with fear, the barest touch of those talons told her that even if she covered her cheek with iron, they could tear through to the soft flesh beneath.

"See, yer gonna help us, yer gonna help bring Kami Miyako down, when the time comes." Vanysa said in a soft, gently flowing country voice.

"I'm a slave in an inn, how can 'I' help bring down a six hundred year old country of the most powerful humans in the world?" Enlaith asked in hushed disbelief.

Vanysa shook her head, "Yah cain't, butcha c'n help when the time comes. I'm gonna tell yah somethin, yer gonna be right quiet now. Yah done heard of Neia? Skana? The Sorcerer King?"

This made the still heart pound again, but with a different energy to it's beating. "Yes... the liberators, I know of them. I doubted they were real... at first, but so many spoke of them, and the fear..." She clasped her hands together happily as if in prayer, looking up to the demoness, fear of this monster was fading rapidly and her eyes lit brighter than a candle in the dark. "The fear of the humans convinced me that these beings, these figures, these people were real. I see lots of humans, serve lots of them, spend time with them in common service and in pillow talk."

"That is who I work for, the Sorcerer King, he is my master. Now, he will be yours." Vanysa leaned intimately close, whispering into Enlaith's ear.

She felt the breath on her skin, hot as brimstone it nearly burned her. She shivered.

"I want to be free. Away from all this... I don't want to trade one master for another." Enlaith said with a sudden impulsive boldness which seized her in the breast and for a moment she thought she might regret the rashness of her words.

Vanysa leaned back and laughed, covering her deadly fangs with a deadly taloned hand.

"You will be. And I don't mean some trite promise of the freedom of death." Her eyes were narrow, clear, and focused again on the kneeling elf. "But who will be free, must first serve, and all who live and unlive, serve someone. My master taught me years ago, before I had this form, that great kings are the servants of their people, as the people serve the king, they do so that he may also serve them. It is why he is their voice, the embodiment of their hopes, their beating heart, even when he is undead. You wish to be free to choose your course of life, then first... serve, and my master's end will set you free to choose what fate you wish for yourself." Vanysa spoke with a patient, instructive voice.

"Now, will you obey and answer the call, or wait here, drifting aimlessly to the beds of randomly given masters and mistresses, and remember for all your days that when the chance came to help save yourself, to contribute to your own freedom... that you remained nothing but a long eared sheep?" Vanysa's hand snatched Enlaith's hair at the base and forced her to look up. "When I saw your deeds, I thought I beheld a wolf, hiding as a sheep to protect itself from the hunters around it. Am I wrong, are you just another dull beast wailing for things you haven't the courage to seize?" Vanysa probed as Enlaith grabbed at the powerful grip and clawed at the taloned fingers as if to pry them free.

"You ask me that?" Enlaith glared up at the mistress, forgetting all decorum of submission that had been grilled into her, "What courage did you show to earn the right to say that to me, demoness?!" She snapped out indignantly.

Vanysa's laugh was not a titter or a giggle, it was the cackle of the mad, her demonic form vanished as her wings drew slowly within. The golden skin faded, the talons drew back into her body as if they never were, and the fangs became pearl white teeth again. The blonde beauty with the sadistic eyes was back again. "I died. By my own will, to protect the knowledge I kept within my mind. I endured weeks of captivity, nearly slew my captor, and suffered tortures you cannot imagine. When I could not go free..." Vanysa smiled a gleeful smile, broad and baring pretty teeth, she forced Enlaith to rise from both knees to one, drawing her close, "I ended myself, my master drew me from beyond death." She whispered those words into the ear of the elf girl.

...And Enlaith trembled as the brimstone hot breath caressed her mutilated ear once again. "He gave me this body, and I avenged myself, my predator became my prey." Vanysa released her grip and though Enlaith felt herself fall at the sudden freedom, she caught herself with her hands and rose back to the posture she'd been forced to a moment ago.

"Are you utterly mad?" Enlaith asked, aghast, she touched her scalp where talons had threatened to tear hair from head.

"Yes." Vanysa said in a voice of abject tranquility, "But you would be too, had you endured as I did, But that is neither here nor there. I forced you to that posture, you fell, and chose to rise to it again. Choose to stand up, and I will see that you walk out, not as a sheep whose shepherd has been struck down, but as a wolf who has cast off it's disguise and is now returning to a home it has been away from for far too long. Make your choice." She said, and held out her hand to the kneeling Enlaith.

The hand turned again to that of a demoness. Enlaith reached out, hesitating but a moment, and covered the palm with her own, heedless that the sharp talons left small cuts upon her arm. She rose, with help from the demoness who pulled her up to her feet with only the slightest effort.

"Good choice." Vanysa said as she clapped the elf on her shoulders. The smile she now gave was genuine, ear to ear, and quite warm.

"The only choice." Enlaith replied, "The gods of the humans say I am a slave, seems to me that makes demons into the best allies I could ask for. So, what will I do?" She asked, cocking her head curiously.

"Nothing for now, someone however, will reach out to you, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but when you hear stories among the visitors of this place of the Theocracy's interior being invaded, you can expect you will be called upon." Vanysa stepped away from her and raised a taloned hand level with her chest, pointing to the slave she had enticed. "You hate what you do here, because you do it for those who keep you for themselves. Now I ask you to stay, to do well what you do, so that you may destroy those who think they demand it of you."

A vicious smile graced Enlaith's face. "So be it, mistress, demoness, whatever you are."

"You may just call me by my name, Vanysa. Never by any other." Vanysa said with a considerable amount of satisfaction in her voice, she did not let her smile slip, she only matched the predatory one that stood in front of her.

"How will I know when your people come for me?" Enlaith asked in the practical voice of a long practiced servant.

"They will first request your services expressly, and then they will ask you to act in the name of the Sorcerer King when you are alone." Vanysa instructed her, "Only be patient. All wars end, with every day a march to victory for one side. Astraka's defeat and Philip's fall remove half the threat, the remainder are not strong enough to win, all they can do is make their own defeat more painful. Take comfort in that, it is all I can give you... for now." Vanysa said with a sadistic wink.

As Enlaith beheld the eyes of the demoness, who shifted her form back to that of a blonde again, she found that though the raw wide streak of bloodlust and sadism was still obvious to her own discerning and experienced eye, it was no longer something she feared, she felt a welcome relief at it, as if one wolf encountered another, and in it found not a rival, but a kindred spirit.

"This, I think, is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Enlaith said with the same pleasant voice she used with those she liked among the other slaves.

"Agreed." Vanysa answered.

The next morning was a busy one for all the cardinals, and for once, the Pontifex Maximus.

The roads were all closed, all the way to the warehouse districts, and wagons specially designed to be mobile prison transports for masses, carefully navigated the streets. By now the whole city knew of the project, many private contractors had helped to build the facilities and of course, Dominic had credit publicly put to himself for the innovation.

It had become an almost festive thing, such was the mass train of workers being ferried out, and with the closed roads, few could work their daily business for want of a means to gain commercial traffic. Thus, an impromptu holiday. Humans lined the streets and jeered the caged elves, some threw rotten fruit, but few elves had spirit enough anymore to even look up. Atop the battlements of the great wall, where the gate and road joined to mark the way out, the six cardinals and the Pontifex Maximus stood side by side.

"So you did it." Dominic said to the trio of those he counted as opponents. It was something akin to praise.

"We did. We do not agree on everything, Dominic, but we all agree that our nation will not survive without food and materials, this was the best way forward." Berenice said with a calm, matronly voice.

"And besides, this eases the pressure on the guards here in the city, it really was a great solution." Ginedine pointed out.

"It does, but it still isn't without its drawbacks." Maximillian pointed out, "A lot of elf females were bought up for this, really puts a strain on the brothels." He said with some mild annoyance. "I've been seeing complaints about that, wanting a limitation on how many could be bought for non-morale based use."

Raymond felt sick, but hid it by clenching his hands into fists behind his back.

"Doesn't matter." Yvon pointed out in turn, "The facilities are built now, and the pressure will decrease when the next round of levies go out, if these facilities can arm and feed those forces, we'll be set to continue this war and we can drive the Draconic bitch back to her home."

"I suppose, but I want to meet tomorrow to settle on what we'll do with those prisoners, they are humans after all, and many are still of our faith, what to do with them is a big issue." Necran Adama proposed.

"You want to call a meeting?" Dominic asked in an amused voice, then as a few wails from below reached his ears, he smiled indulgently, "Alright 'Pontifex Maximus', we'll meet tomorrow after the noon meal. Will that pose a problem?" He asked the other cardinals, looking to his left and right with an amused expression on his face as the first prison cart passed out of the city gate.

"Fine." Raymond answered, and that set off a cascade of agreement. Ginedine and Berenice traded a quiet glance of understanding. 'Tomorrow, Cardinal Dominic will die.'

**AN: I know, I know, some of y'all want me to wrap up with this so I can get back to the main story. And I will fairly soon, I'm reworking some plot points for it, and I want this one to end where it intersects with the main one. This one doesn't have a whole lot left, depending on how often I write, it could be done inside of a week, maybe a little less, maybe a bit more. Then, when I get back to 'God Rising' well that one has a LOT to cover and it should be fairly fast paced for ten to twenty chapters before the next slow build up. Just relax and enjoy the ride, because remember, it is very likely that once these stories are all wrapped up, I won't do more Overlord. A sequel is 'possible' but it would be nowhere near the scale of the current story set, so if you wanted more, you'd have to write more 'God Rising' branches yourselves. I'll have other projects I want to get to. Including my original work (the next chapter is being written now for release tonight on my patron site). Anyway, hope you've enjoyed the ride! :)**


	18. Hatred Rising

Blood in the Streets

Written by: AtheistBasementDragon

Edited by: The Usual Gang of Drunken Perverted Idiots

Chapter 18:

...Kami Miyako...

Patecalt's body shook with terror as she went from the warehouse in which she'd been living, into the slave wagons. She managed to look around a little as she trudged, but could not bring her eyes far up from the ground, there was no point. She knew what was there, hatred. Hatred for her, contempt for her, and the cruel eyes of the city that loathed her. She'd long broken herself of the habit of touching her mutilated ears in the morning, hoping her life was only a nightmare that she was waking up from. It was clear to her now, this was her life, and there was no hope.

Living in the warehouse had not been so bad, the food was nourishing if inexpensive and there was no work, none of the guards had molested her or any of the others, and except for the two humans identifying themselves as 'Cardinals' who regularly visited their large warehouse, they saw no other humans at all except through windows or when food was brought in and wheeled from space to space. That in and of itself was near a paradise.

Now that was over. She kept her face down hoping to turn aside human wrath, and thought about the two humans, the old man and the middle aged woman. She snorted. "If they're Cardinals, I'm the damn Pontifex Maximus." She said to herself when the wagon was full and started to move. Her eyes widened as she looked up a little and saw many other warehouses around her were doing the same thing. It was new.

New things brought only fear. Nothing both new and good happened to her in Kami Miyako. She lowered her face as close to her lap as she could, bending forward and covering her head with her hands. She didn't want to see anything when she hit the main street. Bad enough she could not conceal from herself, the sounds of humans. She didn't change her position or even pause in her trembling until other elves around her started talking about heading 'out' of the city.

Patecalt looked up then, her eyes widened with disbelief, the dread gate, the mouth of hell itself, and they were heading toward it. "What is happening?" She asked one of the elves next to her.

"I'm in the same cart you are, Patecalt. I know no more than you do." The man said with a confused voice of resignation. He wasn't trembling as she was, but his eyes were no more alive than hers. In quiet moments when slaves caught each other's eyes, there was always the wondering... "Do my eyes look as dead as theirs?" Over time, the answer always turned out to be the same. "Yes."

As they rolled over the stone, little bumps in the street rocking them in place as if in a mother's arms, they rolled on, and in a rare moment of impulse as she looked at the gate, she raised her eyes and saw the seven figures atop the wall, two of them she recognized, and given the prominence of place... 'They were telling the truth... they really were Cardinals. What is going on?' She wondered in a daze. She was still wondering when the carts started breaking off and going down different roads outside the gate, and reached her own destination. The gallows loomed like a nightmare to her eyes as the carts wheeled past, as did the whipping posts.

She was not the only one to be shaking, when the last cart in her little caravan rolled through the gate, she watched with dread as it closed, it was like a wall of iron.

The cart she rode in had its door opened, and one by one they shuffled out and moved to the front, "Line up!" Someone called out, and she scurried to follow the instruction. The wagon drivers got out and moved to the front of the line that she and all others got her first surprise.

The drivers drew their heavy hoods back, and to her shock, she found herself staring at elven features. "Welcome to salvation." The one in front of her line said with a joyful expression. Gasps of disbelief flew out of her lungs, and she like many others, were babbling brooks of questions, the wagoneers tried for several minutes to calm the groups in front of which they stood, and only when they had silence did they begin to explain everything. When it was understood, some collapsed, some fainted, some wept and hugged, but Patecalt could only stand in awe as hope kindled in her breast for the first time in seventy years. Much more was explained over the ensuing hours, some, like herself, barely knew that there was a war on, others chimed in with things they'd heard, rumors of an avenger, a walking nightmare that called on divine wrath to crush those who opposed her, and a god who set her people free wherever he walked.

"...So now," the wagoneer continued, "you have to farm, you have to work, but you will do both in safety, doing both will keep the monsters at bay until we are at last able to leave this place forever. The supreme one is creating a place for us, where we can all settle, far from the king who abandoned us, far from the people who enslaved us, we need only work, and we will wake up from all of this." He said with the easy confidence of someone who knew exactly what was going on. He held his arms out wide as if to embrace them all. "Keep meeting quotas, and you won't see the dangers of Kami Miyako come through those gates."

Patecalt still trembled, but now it was with something else other than fear, and that, she found... she liked very much.

When the last of the wagons had gone out, the cardinals and the pontifex were uniformly silent until the gate closed. Raymond, Ginedine, and Berenice were silent out of disgust, disgust that they had to disguise.

'How... degraded, our people have made themselves, to behave so grossly towards such destitute and ruined lives.' Raymond pondered to himself. 'But who am I to judge? A year ago, I would have dismissed the matter as equal parts distasteful and irrelevant. I have much to answer for, and I have no answers.' As he thought those final words, he could only feel remorse that he knew would never fade away.

He was so lost in his reverie that he did not notice that his fellow cardinals had fallen to squabbling among themselves, not until Necran Adama tapped him on the shoulder. "I'm heading back." He said simply. He wasn't looking at Raymond when he spoke, he was looking out over his city.

'In a year, what will still be standing?' Necran wondered as he looked out on the proud city, the monument of human triumph and supremacy, from even prouder walls, the walls that had never fallen.

When the Pontifex Maximus got the attention of the others, they nodded politely, even Dominic gave him that much, but it was lost on none of them that the guards along the wall were keeping a careful watch. Not on what lay beyond the walls, but within and upon them.

Cardinal Raymond traded a look with Dominic, just for a moment, but a subtle nod from the Cardinal of Wind was all it took. "I will go with you, we can share the road a ways." Raymond said in a friendly tone.

"I welcome the company." Necran replied, and gestured with his left hand to the door that led down the tower to street level. They walked under watching eyes, but within the tower at least they could not be seen.

Enveloped by shadow and stone Necran looked down at the steps below, "You feel it, don't you?"

Raymond didn't answer right away. "It feels like walking down the steps to the deepest pit in hell."

Necran nodded, "Very much so. You saw them too?"

"I did. Agante." Raymond said, using the word they dreaded.

"Are they still going to try?" Necran asked with a voice of dread, his eyes so wide that even in the darkness that only a handful of candles pierced, he could see clearly.

"They're going to come by today and fill me in, I don't know." Raymond replied with a tremor to his body at the thought.

"Chance of success?" Necran asked.

"Hard to say." Raymond responded.

"That always means 'little' in these things." Necran said, furrowing his brow.

"I know." Raymond bit the words as they formed on his tongue, but spat them out nonetheless. "But it has to be tried, we could end all this in one single blow, do you want to see the Sorcerer King's armies at the gates of Kami Miyako? Or Zesshi Zetsumei? Or the new one, Chindai Khan? You know what the Agante have been up to for generations among the Dark Elves, what wrath do you think has been building up there?"

"I know, I know. You don't have to explain this to me. But we need some kind of an out." Necran said as they reached the street level door.

"Planning for failure? Isn't that worse than regular planning?" Raymond asked with surprise.

"Call it a contingency. Listen, I want you to draft a letter when you get back, and have it sent to Dominic. Inform him that there is a plot against his life, and I'm responsible for it, keep the details vague, but route it by the slowest and most inefficient way." Necran's voice became somewhat sad as he spoke, "If it succeeds, it doesn't matter, if it fails, then the letter provides you a cover."

Necran reached for the door and opened it, light blinded them for just a moment, they stopped, then as their vision adjusted, they walked on. Raymond ordered his own carriage to follow, then rejoined Necran to ride within his. They sat opposite one another in stillness as Raymond thought about what the Pontifex Maximus had said.

"You're sentencing yourself to death." Raymond said emphatically.

"It isn't how I wanted my life to end, but not many get to choose the way they go, and this may at least be said to be useful. Just do it. And when you get a chance, well you've still got the bottle, right?" Necran grinned maliciously.

Raymond found it in himself to laugh. "In the basement. When all is over, I will do as you've asked, assuming I live as well."

"I'll be the only man in history to have pissed on my enemy's grave, from my own. I can live with that epitaph on my stone." Necran cackled with mischief.

"Get two more bottles to me, and I'll see the same with the graves of Yvon and Maximillian." Raymond gave a gallows smile to the Pontifex Maximus, prompting the old man to slap his knee and laugh even more.

"I'll start drinking as soon as I get home." Necran replied.

"I'll look forward to the day you can get the last one up on them." Raymond answered with a wink.

"Wish I could say the same, but... what about you? What else have you been working on?" Necran asked as he leaned forward closer to Raymond, "You're not nearly as depressed as you should be, all things considered."

"The Black Scripture is coming back, we have flight mages helping them return, but they're stopping here first to receive their mission from Dominic himself. The 'Grand Defender' is going to send them to take down Zesshi." Raymond's eyelids dropped and he folded his hands together on his lap, the silence after the statement spoke volumes about his expectation that they could accomplish that goal.

"I assume you don't intend to just let that pass." Necran replied in a deadpan voice, staring at Raymond with a raised eyebrow.

"The Black is different than all the others. They're the most independent, and the only ones where strength is absolutely the only thing that matters. Zesshi was an extreme example of someone whose loyalty was... different. But she's not the only one. They grew up with her at the top, she saw many of them rise from rookie to veteran, I don't know if they're even aware of what has been taking place but... probably not. Maybe, if a few are loyal to me, or remember Zesshi well..." Raymond's answer was filled with ifs and buts as his hands fell apart at his sides and his fingers tapped anxiously on the seat cushion.

"That is an enormous risk." Necran pointed out.

"It is an enormous war." Raymond replied.

"So it is a race to the grave for the both of us." Necran said with resignation as he looked down at the floor of the carriage.

"So it is." Raymond replied as the carriage slowed to a stop, he opened the door and stepped out. "See you soon, my friend."

"Indeed, and I'll have a few special bottles sent over to you soon for a celebration of triumph." Necran said vocally as he got out behind Raymond.

Raymond went to his own carriage and got in. Taking his seat, he found himself under the gaze of two pairs of eyes saying very different things. The first, concerned and anxious, the second, predatory and amused.

"Nua, Solution, thank you for waiting." Raymond said to the pair.

Solution stretched her arms out and leaned back, she propped her feet up on the cushion next to where Raymond had seated himself. "No trouble, I was just explaining to Nua how I made people disappear." Her inhuman grin reappeared, and Nua's pale skin looked faintly green.

Raymond was about to give in to his curiosity, only for Nua to say, "Trust me Raymond, you don't want to know."

"Ah, alright then. So, it was worthwhile." Raymond said and then went on to explain the nature of his conversation with the Pontifex Maximus.

"Good." Solution said indifferently, "I took care of another one last night." She said with somewhat more contentment.

"Disappeared?" He asked.

"Just part of them, extracted some of the blood, made some nice footprints with the shoes of an overseer, left some stains there and put a piece of the woman's jewelry into his coat pocket. He'll take the blame and I got a nice meal out of it. Life is good." Her sadistically inhuman grin reminded him of what he was dealing with, forcing him to forget her impressive beauty.

"Good, glad you enjoyed yourself. Some people are fit only to be prey." Raymond said with a savage casualness that shocked himself when he realized what he'd said aloud.

"You... like this?" Nua asked with disbelief.

"It seems to have grown on me." Raymond replied, reaching out, he took her hand, "But be assured, this is not done lightly, and it serves a single end, I promise you."

Nua looked at him in askance, "Still." She said, "Well I should get used to this. Any chance I can... maybe go see Aalon today? I want to see his home here, I want to meet... hell it feels wrong to call her 'my replacement' but..." She raked her fingers over her thighs and shook her head in a small rapid fashion.

"No, never mind, there are bigger things going on." She said rapidly and then asked, "What can I do to help"

"Not much." Solution said bluntly, "You're not comfortable with killing, and killing is what has to happen."

Nua looked at the maid demon, somewhat wounded, her eyes went down.

"Perhaps you can help by healing." Raymond proposed, his voice was as gentle as ever when it came to the small slave. "The facilities are staffed, you can train others in the skills to make potions, you can help save lives, while we take them."

"NO!" Nua shouted suddenly, shaking off his hand, "No more! No more!" She fixed them both with a glare, "Maybe I could do that, maybe I could ride out the remainder of this conflict hiding away like I did in Aalon's house, working with potions and poultices... but then what? Then what?!"

Solution raised an eyebrow as Raymond's lips parted only for no words to come out. "Little slave wants to bare teeth and bite back, that it?" She asked with bemusement.

Nua either didn't dispute the condescension or didn't care about it, because she nodded fiercely and replied, "YES! I've spent most of my life as someone else's property, prey, or both! If this all ends without me fighting back, that's all I'll EVER be!" Angry tears fell as she shouted at them and her entire body shook with rage.

"You're both killers! So teach me! Teach me how to kill!" Nua demanded furiously, "Please!" She added desperately as Raymond and Solution traded a thoughtful look.

"I guess guarding you is kind of boring." Solution said, thoughtfully expressing her support to Raymond.

"You're only acting at night, I have enough servants, and I can spend time sending my votes by messenger, I don't have to attend every session." Raymond added tentatively.

Solution held her hand out, Nua looked down at it tentatively, then placed her own in it. "You ready to get hurt, little slave?" She asked with scathing sweetness, and she let her burning acid work ever so slowly on Nua's hand.

Nua's face registered pain, her fingers twitched but she did not pull back. "What do y-you think I've been living with for almost a h-hundred and f-fifty years, maid demoness? Either w-waiting for pain, or r-recovering from it. At least th-this time, it is my choice. Gah..." She squeezed a noise of pain as she stammered out a word or two at a time.

She kept her eyes fixed on the maid, and held her shaking hand in the burning grip, until Solution herself let her hand fall away.

Nua grabbed her injured hand tight and held it to her breast. "Alright, why not? If nothing else it'll be a change of pace. What do you say, Raymond?" Solution said with a little sadistic giggle.

"You're asking my permission?" He asked with surprise.

"No, I'm asking if you want to help, I don't need your permission." Solution's nose turned up just a bit haughtily.

"Well, if you're going to do it anyway, then I might as well support you." He replied as he took out a bandage from a drawer and drew Nua's hand to him and started to wrap it up.

"They told me you were a sharp human, looks like they didn't lie." Solution's inhuman smile did not leave her face until it had to disappear when the carriage finally reached Raymond's home.

**AN: Thanks for reading, I've got a lot of writing ahead, not just for Overlord, I just released 'Scales of Trust' Chapter 3 on my patr3 on site and it has received positive feedback from those who have read it, if you'd like to support my original works, you may do so at slash tellingstories on patr3 on. :)**


	19. Mine Enemy

Blood in the Streets

Written by: AtheistBasementDragon

Edited by: The Usual Gang of Drunken Perverted Idiots

Chapter 19: Mine Enemy

...Kami Miyako…

Nua felt a welling of relief rise within her breast at the promise to teach her. But nonetheless it caught her by surprise when Solution's terrible smile was broken by the words, "You will come with me on tonight's kill. I'll promise your safety on it, it will be your first, most important lesson. Fail, and I will not help you again with this request of yours."

The little elf lowered her face, "I will not fail you, Lady Solution."

Solution smirked, "It isn't me you'd be failing. It's you. Doesn't bother me if you fail yourself, that'll only bother… well… you." Her finger was pointed at Nua for emphasis.

Both Nua and Raymond were still contemplating that when they left the carriage and entered his home and went to the private office on the second floor, only to find themselves to their surprise, facing a familiar gold skinned demoness sitting in front of Raymond's desk and playfully waving at them with the back of her hand without looking over her shoulder.

"Hiya." She greeted cheerfully. Raymond could practically feel the crazy smile just looking at the back of her head. He felt himself go tense, and forced out a polite "Hello… Vanysa." He said, taking care to use her name as he walked to his desk. "Why are you here?" He asked as he went to take a seat at his desk. Solution and Nua took position at the door as attendants, but listened with curious interest.

Nua in particular kept her eyes on the demoness of vengeance. The beautiful wings, the gold skin, the hardened shapely horns, and ripper talons all spoke of a predator, it was almost thrilling just to look at something like her and not have to feel raw terror, and her thick peasant accent was a bouncy contradiction that kept Nua from averting her gaze or her ears.

"So, Tira is dead." Vanysa said bluntly.

"Meidhall's mother?" Raymond's voice was saddened.

"Ya' knew 'er I assume?" Vanysa asked as she folded her hands in her lap and twiddled her thumbs.

"In passing, she was Windflower scripture when she was young, not exactly their best but I knew her well enough to know she was a good woman." Raymond said as the tension in his muscles redoubled.

"Yah ah kinda got that feelin, she 'minded me of mah momma, didnae like killin 'er. But if'n it 'elps, I made it quick'n painless. She didnae feel a thing." Vanysa said in a weirdly comforting and mournful sort of voice.

"Was there any alternative?" He asked sadly as he looked down at nothing on the surface of his desk.

"If'n Meidhall is gonna have a chance? Nah, ther weren't. Least ways none s'good." She said in her playful voice that was so disarming it was easy to forget she was talking about assassinating a former scripture member.

Raymond turned his steel gaze onto the storm gray eyes of the demoness. "If she didn't deserve to die, and you killed her anyway, what makes you any better than us?"

The tension that sprang up was too thick for a knife to cut, and Nua nervously watched the Demoness stay still for a solid minute as the words hung in the air.

Vanysa's accent faded away, but her expression did not alter as she answered. "Are you asking because you don't know, or because it was a 'monster' who did it? How many times did you make the same call, Mr. Cardinal? How many times did you put down people, humans or nonhumans, that you 'could' have found an alternative solution for other than 'kill them and be done with it'? I haven't seen your dossier, but I'll bet it is something in the range of 'a lot'. Killing her was the best way to get this done, nothing was to be gained by sparing her, and there is 'always' a chance something could have gone wrong by letting her live. Would you be asking that question to another human of any nation? Let alone one on your side?"

The Cardinal let the question settle for a moment, then he answered. "Maybe not. I honestly don't know. You 'were' human before, right?" He asked.

Her eyes widened a bit at the unexpected rhetorical question, then narrowed and she folded her arms in front of her chest defensively. "Till after your ally got his hands on me, yes."

"Imagine the same conditions now, but with yourself as a human and not a... demoness. Would you have done anything differently?" His question bore a considerable amount of curiosity with it, enough to give the demoness pause.

"When I was a young girl, no, I cried over killing chickens, but I did it because we had to eat. When the beastmen ruined my life, I skinned one of them alive quite happily. But that was personal. When Astraka finished me and I was recreated, I did a lot worse, but it was both necessary and enjoyable. Let's be truthful you and I, Cardinal Raymond. You want to know if I killed her or will kill more, without a good reason. The answer to that is no. Yes, I could have spared Tira, but it wasn't the most practical answer. This is a war, and only the path of greatest certainty is acceptable. If sparing her would have been more certain, then I would have spared her. I did not take her life because of my race, and I did not like killing her. Till now, I've never hurt a single person who didn't absolutely deserve it." She looked thoughtful for a moment, and then her eyes fell to the multicolored cube sitting on an upside down tripole stand. She took it up in her hand, cut her palm slightly with one talon, and stained one square with her blood.

"That single dot is the chance that sparing her could lead to problems later." She flipped the cube into the air and let it land with a thud in the center of his desk, the dot did not come up. "Because there is only one small chance, that dot did not get exposed. However," she paused, turned the cube until she found the dot, then wiped it clean, "now there is no chance, no matter how many times the cube is rolled. That is the difference between her life and death, so she had to die. This would have been true whether I was a human or not. I made the call that you would have, and that you have made a thousand times by now. You don't get to sit there and say that I did it because I'm a demoness, when you are dressed in human skin." Her voice was fiercely angry as she set the cube down.

But Raymond's eyes bugged out of his head. It was an uncomfortable silence. "What was that thing anyway?" Vanysa asked curiously.

"Th-that was a rubix cube, one of the artifacts of the gods, a near impossible puzzle solved only by years of effort and a mere handful over the last six centuries. It is given to each cardinal as a gift with their office when they're appointed… and you just stained a godly artifact with demon blood." He spoke breathlessly as if he could not believe what had just taken place in front of him.

"Oh, well I cleaned it up, sorry. You ever solve it?" She asked curiously, a twinkle in her eye as she guessed the answer in advance.

"No." He said somewhat somberly as he thought about what she'd said before that question.

"You should offer a chance at it to His Majesty. I'll bet he'd like to see it." She suggested diplomatically.

"I'll do that." Raymond replied. He forced himself to relax again. "I'm… look working with nonhumans is new to me. And you did kill someone I knew…"

"In a war your country started." Nua interjected sharply.

Raymond could not fully hide a sense of shame brought on by Nua's reminder, he drove on. "Fine, the point is taken, I'd like to know why you've come to see me now, then. You didn't come to gloat about killing Tira, I'm sure of that."

Vanysa looked at him cockeyed. "You are, why? Aren't I a demoness, isn't that what we do, gloat about killing and suffering?" It was a definitive dig at the attitude he'd just shown.

However this time Raymond was able to meet her eyes and he spoke with confidence as he straightened his back, "Because that wouldn't gain your master anything, and you're not here for you or even for us."

Vanysa retracted her wings, leaving an enchanting blonde beauty in front of him. "A practical answer. And you're absolutely right. I'm glad you're smart, it is soooo hard working with the stupid. So, down to the point, put bluntly, I don't know if I can handle Meidhall if she turns violent."

"She might listen to me." Raymond said hopefully as Vanysa laid out her intentions to compel the obedience of the Black Scripture member. "I moved up before she joined but… one member of the Black to another…"

Vanysa shook her head, "No, she'll listen to her father, that's why she's started scrying again."

"Her father died before she was born." Raymond began, he might have said something more, but stopped dead when Vanysa shook her head.

"Unless somebody killed Dominic, her father is very much alive. Her mother had an affair with him, Meidhall was the result. I have it from Tira's own lips as well as through letters that they exchanged which Tira kept at her bedside. I guess she still loved him, or at least remembered loving him fondly." The demoness explained with some distaste evident in her voice.

"That… explains a great deal actually." Raymond folded his fingers into a pyramid and put them to his lips as he thought, various little clues over the years fell into place. Her temper, her abilities, her emotional nature… as he thought it over, she was a lot like her 'actual' father.

Vanysa looked over her shoulder, "So, you want to back me up, or what?"

"Well… that 'is' convenient." Solution said enthusiastically.

"What is?" Vanysa asked her thoughtfully.

"This one wants to get her hands dirty. She should know what that means, shouldn't she?" Solution asked as she pointed to Nua, who bowed her head with a barely disguised tremor.

"No… nobody… nobody should know what that means… not ever…" Vanysa said in a haunted voice, her gray eyes briefly going dull as a corpse and glassing over as memories ripped their way through her mind before she could get a hold of herself and bring a neutral expression to her face. 'Your entire body could be bought at a brothel for less than the stone I use to keep my blade sharp…' Astraka's words rang in her head again, and she stomped them down before fully regaining her control.

'What the hell did they do to you?' Raymond wondered behind a calm face that masked his true emotions.

With her expression restored, she sounded resolute when she added, "It is as you say. But we might not have to kill Meidhall. If she cooperates…" Vanysa shrugged before continuing, "Well, even if there is nothing to be done, it won't take long. Fine, bring her."

"Perhaps this is a mad question but… don't you think he'll notice if Thousand Mile Astrologer… Meidhall… his own daughter, goes missing?" Raymond asked with a furrowed brow, he folded his hands in front of his face as he rested his arms on the table.

"I've already planned for that." Vanysa's voice turned smug and she, almost mockingly, imitated the posture of the Cardinal. "I can't plan for ten or twenty thousand years like His Majesty, but I can come up with a few variations on a plan to ensure minimal possibility of failure."

Raymond's eyes closed and he slumped forward, it was Vanysa's human hand that reached out to touch him in a moment of empathy. "I haven't lost all of what I am, no matter what I look like. I remember my mother's touch, her love, the sacrifice of my beloved as he flung himself against unbeatable beastmen to buy me one more minute of life… I won't deny what I've done, or what I will probably do. I won't deny what I am, but if helps you sleep at night, this will all end. And when it is over, it will never have to happen again. The dream of your ancestors, a safe humanity, is coming fast. Perhaps not the way they dreamt of it, but if the end result is the same."

His eyes began to open as she spoke in a slow and tender voice, "The children of men will sleep safely in their beds, from the time when their bed is a crib, to the time when their bed is a coffin given to them at great age. I will kill who I must, but I will not kill gratuitously or cruelly without cause. Let that be good enough for you, Cardinal Raymond. It is more than I got, and more than your nation gave." Vanysa's voice was oddly cracked as she spoke, but when he went to search her eyes, whatever might have rested there was gone and only the cloudy gray remained as if to hide the demon within.

Silence reigned in the room for a while before Nua broke it with her proposal. "Ah, can I suggest some tea before anything else at least?"

"That would be lovely, thank you, Nua." Raymond said appreciatively.

She and Solution traded a look, and then they left together and shut the door behind them, leaving Vanysa and Raymond to themselves. He kept sneaking glances at her beautiful human face, only to find reason to look away. Finally she smirked, "I know there are more beautiful than I, but I didn't think I was hard to look at."

The joke brought a chuckle from his lips, "No, it isn't that. I'm just not often confronted with the direct fruits of my decisions."

"No?" Vanysa asked, and let her demonic shape return. "I guess you wouldn't be, would you?"

"No, not really. Policy exists on paper, but we forget about the people involved, maybe it was always so, but Ginedine said that over his lifetime things have gotten measurably worse." Raymond tapped his fingers repeatedly on the desk as he spoke, forcing himself to look into the demonic face.

The black hair danced behind her as she nodded. "I'm not very old, but I believe him. It really makes me wonder what would become of humans in another two hundred years. There was a time when I was a sweet, loving girl, naive, stupid maybe. But with enough experience… well now I can comfortably torture. I heard about Wenmark in the Holy Kingdom, you don't get that way overnight. Sometimes I wonder if demons are just humans who did not stop their descent into violence and bloodlust."

Raymond found to his surprise, that he had to nod in agreement. "I have felt that way sometimes myself, I can think of no atrocity perpetrated on man, that man has not perpetrated on his own. It is one thing to act out of need, it is another to act out of desire. For my whole life I thought there was only one course for people, I've been yanked out of that delusion quite brutally, it is why I side with you all now. But I won't tell you I don't come hard by that choice."

"Tell me," Vanysa began, leaning back in her seat, "what will you do when this war ends? Assuming you live and are free?"

Raymond laughed deeply, "Vanysa, I expect to be hanged when all this is over. All I want is one more chance to say 'I'm sorry' to Zesshi, then I expect to dangle from the gallows. I've been a cardinal for years, I've wiped out villages, killed entire demihuman families, ruled over a nation of slave traders in a city with breakers, I don't expect to walk away from all this. For me to continue to live would be a taint on the rule that comes after."

"Funny, you're not the first person to think that way. The one called 'Gustav'. I think he had said something along those lines, or so I heard anyway. Of course he's dead now, died in the Southern Holy kingdom fending off the Black Scripture to save his soldiers. Got to admit, I'm impressed you're dealing with your own death so well, thought you'd have made a deal for your own life at least." Vanysa said with a respectful tone of voice.

"I don't have a right to ask for that. But… if it is alright, I'd rather not discuss it further, I may be resigned to it, but that doesn't make it a pleasant subject either." Raymond said courteously.

"I understand." Vanysa said gently, "I'm sorry I raised it, I should know better after my own… history." She spoke softly and shuddered slightly.

"Given what I just said… I know I shouldn't ask, so please forgive me but…" Raymond started to say, only for Vanysa to tap her fingers on the desk and speak over him.

"You want to know what happened to me. Does it matter? Do you care?" She asked with a hint of bitterness.

Raymond didn't have a good answer for that, he looked away.

She sighed, "Alright. You have torture chambers. Short version is, that is what happened, what implements you have, were in Hoburns and they were used on me over the course of hours. When I passed out, they left me a bleeding shredded mess to be nibbled on by rats and lay in dank, shadow, and pain. Nobody knew where I was or that I was missing, so I ended my own life."

"But why was it done?" Raymond asked, mystified. "You were, and forgive me for saying this, but you were 'just' another peasant."

"It was because I served His Majesty. I attended him for weeks and saw many of his spells, Astraka wanted to know everything about him, so he tried to sweet talk me, tried to bribe me, tried to threaten me, finally he did all those things. So I carved a message into my body in the hopes it would be seen, then took my life when I was alone. I woke up later on the floor at the base of His Majesty's throne, resurrected in this glorious form. I had given Astraka nothing, though I had little enough to give." She told the story in an even voice, her eyes revealed nothing of her discomfort, but as she spoke, her body trembled very slightly.

Raymond said nothing about that, but he made a mental note of it, as it illuminated her unstable mind and her ruthless bloodlust.

"Why a demon?" He asked curiously. "Why not an elf, or angel, or even a vampire?"

"Because for it to work and be permanent, it had to be something close to the nature of the person. Pain changed me, hate changed me, my longing for vengeance changed me… so though I had a human body… I guess maybe that spiritual heteromorph nonsense that was pushed on Remedios might have had a grain of truth to it after all. I am this forever now, my human soul permanently warped with my body. Not for nothing was your companion told to stop creating demons if they are so despised." Vanysa said with a measure of sadness that Raymond did not expect.

Any further conversation was cut off by the return of Solution and Nua who laid out a tray with several cups and small breaded snacks.

Solution poured the tea and Nua laid out the snacks, then each of the four took one of both for themselves. "To the end of this." Raymond said grimly, and they raised their own cups in salute, then drank. It was a quiet few minutes of relatively amicable silence, until at last their cups one by one descended to the table.

"Alright, time for us to get going." Vanysa said and stood up.

"Yup, alright, I'll get you in, we'll go from there." Solution said sweetly, "Let me just dispose of one thing briefly." Within her body, the struggling body of her last target writhed in pain as she was slowly consumed, suddenly she heard a voice within. "You're lucky, I need the space, your end is here."

Before she could question the meaning of what the voice had said, the digestion sped up, she screamed into the void, and then that sound was cut off and within a moment or two there was nothing left of her. Nua's emotions ran the gamut from intestinal discomfort to raw terror, as she knew what was happening, even imagining she could hear the hiss within, while Raymond was still clueless as to what is going on.

"OK, ready." Solution said and stripped off her uniform. Raymond closed his eyes politely as the shameless blonde maid demon exposed herself. "Come here, Nua, Vanysa."

Solution's body became translucent and she smiled in a way that was probably 'supposed' to be inviting or reassuring, but was anything but. Vanysa laughed, she knew the maids well enough to know which ones shared her tendencies, and out of all of them, she knew quite well that Solution was the most overtly sadistic, even more so than herself. The maid was enjoying Nua's discomfort.

'Sometimes you just have to set the example.' Vanysa thought to herself and stepped straight into Solution's body where she disappeared. Nua hesitated for only an instant, then screwing her face into a resolute expression, she followed the demoness into slime and vanished. Solution put her uniform back on and then spoke up. "Alright Raymond, I'm dressed again."

"Uh, where…?" He started to ask when Solution laughed.

"Inside me." She said and put her hand over her cleavage, "I can hold a few people in there if I need to, but I don't like to do more than one at a time. And before you ask, yes, they're just fine, I don't have to consume, I can simply 'carry'."

"I… see." Raymond said hesitantly as he started to understand why she could so easily make people disappear. It was a very unpleasant thing to think about. But it did make it abundantly clear why Nua was uncomfortable being in the same carriage with the beautiful blonde maid. It was a relief when she walked out as he slumped in his chair, letting out a heavy sigh.

Arriving at the house did not take the maid very long, it was still relatively early, and for this she wanted maximum security. So she simply waited at a small local cafe and watched the pathetic humans walk around with self-important and fearless looks on their faces. It made her smile as she thought about the storm that was coming. She made sure to keep her smile human enough, but as she pondered Gargantua pounding the walls, Enri calling the dragons to fly over their walls, Neia butchering her way through the streets, Zesshi storming the main building, the hordes of dark elves and Kingdom troops swarming through every gap killing as they went… it was so beautiful an offering to her lord that she could scarcely contain her excitement. She ecstatically squirmed in her seat, drawing the desirous eyes of numerous men and the envious, hateful gazes of their wives.

She noticed them not at all for that time, and just dwelt on her own whimsical thoughts. That is, she did so until the sun began to set behind her. She paid her bill for what little she'd consumed and walked away towards the fading golden light, as if the shadows were leading her to the home of their target.

She listened with care to be sure she went unobserved, and then she spoke to her passengers within. "I will get you into her room once we find it, then Vanysa I will deposit you. Nua, you will remain within until we know what Meidhall will do. If she obeys, fine, if not, well it's time for practice. I will remain hidden until I must emerge."

"We understand." Vanysa said as she leaned comfortably back against the invisible elastic-like walls of Solution's insides.

"Ah, it is dark in here though, any chance of a light?" Nua asked the voice.

"Nope. Just bear with it." Solution replied.

Nua sighed, "Alright." She said and positioned herself close to the demoness for comfort.

Within, all they could do was wait, so Vanysa stretched out and folded her hands behind her head as if laying on a pillow.

"How can you be so… calm? You're inside the belly of a monster…" Nua asked with a trembling voice.

"A monster yes, but one on our side. You're perfectly safe, besides, when is that not true?" Vanysa asked with a clever smile that even Nua could not see in the lightless abyss.

"What?" Nua asked in confusion.

"We live in the world, right?" Vanysa asked casually as she crossed one ankle over the other.

"Yes, what of it?" Nua probed.

"Well, in that world, humans torture humans, beastmen eat humans, humans slay demons, demons kill humans and beastmen and everybody is always killing or torturing everybody else, and that is without all the natural disasters, corruption, and all the other stuff. So when you get right down to it, we're always living in a monster. Our world is a place of terror and death, it eats the weak and shits them out, and only the strong are guaranteed happiness. Look at you, and look at me." Vanysa opened her arms as if to weigh them both in her hands.

"I was weak for most of my life, and I suffered all manner of terrible things. I grew much stronger, thanks to my lord, and now I have happiness. You spent over six of my lifetimes being weak, and have not had more happy years than a human toddler's lifespan in which you felt anything good at all. That happened because you were weak, your people were weak. It is why Neia says 'Weakness is a sin.' Not because the weakness itself is wrong, but because it lets all wrongs rule and makes justice impossible." Vanysa's voice was like the striking of a god as it shook Nua to her core.

"Is she really human?" Nua asked, "I've heard of her, but it is just… I can't believe a human would go that far." She asked the question in curiosity, but also to distract from the moment as she analyzed what she'd been told.

Vanysa laughed, "I've met her, and her wife. They're both very, very human. So are most of her people, though they have a fair number of other races in their armies now. She's got a real bone to pick with this country too. Wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of that."

Nua was about to fall into contemplation when the voice spoke up from above.

"Alright, you ready?" Solution asked the occupants of her inner space.

"Very." Vanysa said, and she felt the exit start to open, and she was able to slip out easily.

She stepped out into blackness. She looked behind her, Solution had slipped along the wall and opened herself right at the surface, allowing her to seamlessly step into the room.

A body was sleeping on the bed. She was curled up in the fetal position under a single comfortable looking blanket with fine stitching. She was dressed in her night clothes, ones suitable for winter. Her long blue hair hung unbound from her head and was so long that it dangled almost to the floor from up on her large wooden bed.

Vanysa took a scroll of silence out of her pack and used it, the house would remain ignorant of what happened here. She further used a scroll of dimensional lock and then another of containment. There would be no escape. Only then did she take up a chair and set it a few feet from the sleeping body.

"Wake up Meidhall, come on now, there is a lot to say and only so many hours in the night to say it all." Vanysa said kindly.

She felt the difference, she couldn't see the woman's eyes, but they definitely flew open after hearing an unfamiliar voice in the darkness of her private room.

Meidhall shot up and waved her hand over the light stone, casting a pale white light over the room.

She turned to face the source as fast as one would expect out of a scripture member. Immediately she knew something was wrong, magic was at work, and it was all over her room. 'I'm not a girl fond of gambling but… I'll just bet I'm trapped and that nobody can hear a damn thing.' Unpleasant thought though it was, she kept her calm.

'Young. Young and pretty.' Vanysa thought as she looked the girl over, her sense for guilt did not pick up the unexpected given her abilities and position. Involvement in secret operations, information that cost innocent lives. 'One of those who does evil without evil intent, not that different than many I guess, I've seen worse.' Vanysa thought as the woman looked at her in surprise.

'What the hell, who is this, why is she here? Pretty, young, but those gray eyes… something is off. Is she human?' Meidhall wondered. 'She could have just attacked me in my sleep, she didn't, so she wants to talk, fine. I'll make her regret it though, if she tries to make trouble.'

"Hmm, you're a calm one, given the circumstances, I expected more of your father's temper out of you." Vanysa said innocently as she watched the eyes widen on Thousand Mile Astrologer's face.

"My father is…" She started to say.

"Dominic Ihre Partouche, I already know, I know everything, it is my 'job' to know 'almost' everything, I'm here because I have only one thing left to know, and only you can answer it." Vanysa said with polite formality, she folded her hands in her lap and let that sink in.

'How the hell does she know this? Almost nobody knows…. Except…. Oh god… mother….' Meidhall thought with panic.

"I see, you're sharp too, yes, I've seen the letters that your mother wrote, and the ones Dominic wrote. Got to tell you though, I kind of suspect Dominic in killing her first husband, no proof of course, just his character when he wants something." Vanysa shrugged and shook her head indifferently, "Not that that matters at all."

"Don't talk about my father like that." Meidhall said through gritted teeth.

"What, honestly? Want me to lie about him?" Vanysa laughed a bit. "But I'm not here about him, I'm here about you."

"In what capacity?" Meidhall asked as she focused on the important part.

"I represent the Sorcerer King. We want you to change sides, or at least bow out, make some excuse for why your powers no longer work." Vanysa spoke slowly and formally, recalling her lessons learned before visiting Kedyn for help.

"My powers work fine." Meidhall said bluntly.

"Nobody has to know that though. You lie, you say that you can't scry any longer, impose yourself into exile within your home for the remainder of the war. Or better yet, start presenting the visions we want you to present, and help bring your country down."

Meidhall wasn't sure she heard the blonde woman correctly at first. She was so certain she'd misheard everything that she asked that it be repeated, when it was, almost word for word, she looked at the storm gray eyes and asked, "Are you insane?"

"I think so, but that is why I'm here regardless. The Sorcerer King is making this offer, I'm just the messenger, you could save many of your people's lives, this war is over, it was over the day it was declared. You will lose, your allies are half defeated, the remainder are bogged down, and you are besieged. You know you can't win. Your father is going to die… if he's lucky. The only question is how many innocent people will he take down with him. You're being given the chance to stop the horrors to come, or at least to minimize them." Vanysa elaborated patiently, laying the situation out in very stark terms.

"You have Calca, Neia, and Skana in the West, they will come East when the south is settled. You have Zaryusu, Zanac, and Nimble coming from the North, and they'll be joining with dark elves and dark dwarves. You have Zesshi coming west into elf country, after which she'll turn North, and Draudillon coming west. You don't really see yourselves winning this, do you? Submit to His Majesty and save your people." Vanysa all but implored her.

Thousand Mile Astrologer's eyes went narrow. "You can't be human."

"No, not really. But I thought this would be more comfortable for you, that you might listen to me this way, I 'was' fully human once, if that helps." Vanysa said with a small measure of amusement at the question.

She felt Meidhall's heart start to race.

"Before you decide, know that surrender will also save your mother's life. She's a hostage at home right now." Vanysa said, giving her a convenient half truth, but it proved a mistake.

"Don't do it." Vanysa said cautiously, "This offer comes only once, refuse, and you will not live to see tomorrow."

"Show me. Show me what you really are." Thousand Mile Astrologer said as her temper started to rise like a rapidly boiling teapot.

"If you insist." Vanysa said, then she stood and let her wings emerge, her golden skin, talons, horns, in all their glory laid bare before the Black Scripture member.

'Demoness! A demoness has my mother… A demoness threatens my father! A demoness threatens my country under the orders of an undead!' She screamed within her head and started to move almost before she realized what she was doing.

Her fist darted out and slammed hard into the abdomen of the demoness. Vanysa doubled over and fell, but she slashed out with her talons as fast as she could.

Thousand Mile Astrologer's battle precognition kicked in and she avoided the slash, she punched hard into the demoness's shoulder and heard a satisfying crunch. Vanysa snarled and pushed off with her powerful legs, slamming her horns hard into the face of the Astrologer. She connected only in part, only to take two more simultaneous blows to the kidneys before Vanysa could connect again with a thrust of her own that mostly missed the human's chest and left only streaks along her skin.

Enraged, Vanysa lunged against her, attempting to force a grapple to rely on her demonic strength, only to find that with the use of several martial arts, Thousand Mile Astrologer was surpassing her.

"Smile for me love, gimmie a kiss!" Vanysa snarled and snapped her fangs at Thousand Mile Astrologer's lips. "You will not defeat my god, even 'if' you defeat me." She said as they began to pummel one another.

Fist upon fist, talon upon flesh, artistry was gone, it was brutality, and despite the use of her wings to augment her ability to stop the blows of the Black Scripture, it was immediately obvious that the conclusion of the fight was predetermined. Vanysa landed only a few blows thanks to the precognition of Meidhall, though it did not seem to be limitless, warning her only a fraction of a second before the demoness would strike.

Were it not for her being accustomed to pain, Vanysa would have already fallen, what's more, she knew it. "We'll see about that. I'm going to kill you, bitch. Then go to my home and kill whoever is holding my mother hostage, then warn my father of the infiltration of his city. Then he'll find 'some' way out of all this, he's always found a way." She said and snagged Vanysa's jaw and landed a heavy blow to her face.

The erinyes fell to her side and tried to rise, only to feel a kick connect to her wing, she felt it snap and suppressed a shriek of pain.

She looked up at Meidhall, "You are every bit as powerful as I expected." Vanysa smiled and spat blood onto the floor.

"Oh, then why are you smiling?" Thousand Mile Astrologer as she raised her foot and stomped it down on Vanysa's shoulder, crumpling her back down to the floor.

"Because," Vanysa said as she rolled onto her back and looked up at the Black Scripture woman, "first, I did better than I thought I'd do, left a few marks on you." She gave the woman a bloody smile. "Second, because I know two things you don't know."

"Oh?" Meidhall asked, then raised her foot and brought it down hard on Vanysa's breast, forcing the demoness to spit up blood. The Black Scripture daughter of Dominic kept her foot there and began to apply more pressure. "Want to tell me before I press the life out of you?"

Vanysa laughed, "Well, I know that your mother is actually hostage in 'my' home, and she's a hostage as a corpse. I killed her yesterday."

Meidhall's eyes widened as the words hit home. But Vanysa did not stop speaking, "The other thing I know is this… I didn't come here alone."

The battle precognition of the Black Scripture activated just in time to be too late, as Vanysa jammed her talons into the calf of Dominic's daughter and held her in place, and from the wall came inhumanly grinning Solution, who slammed her fist hard into the woman's face, not to send her flying back, but to encompass her head in the inescapable slime.

'I can't breath, what the hell, a slime?! Slimes aren't this strong… what is going on?!' Meidhall wondered frantically as she began to claw at the viscous liquid, unable to find purchase or sweep it away.

'I've got to fight… got… to… fight…' Meidhall thought, flailing her arms as she was dragged from atop the demoness, the talons that had pierced her leg gradually tore free, leaving her in agony as they did not simply 'slide out'.

"God damn that hurt." Vanysa hissed as she lay on the floor with her arms flopped out, "She hits like a boulder."

Solution shrugged, "You should have just let me handle her from the start if you didn't want to get injured." She looked down at the battered, bruised, and broken winged ally, indifferent to the weakening human at the end of her slimy appendage only a few degrees away.

"Maybe." Vanysa said as she rolled over and wiped the blood from her mouth after rising to all fours. "But I wanted to know where I stood."

"On your back isn't really 'standing' though." Solution said with a sadistic laugh.

Vanysa had the good grace to share it, and it was the dual laughter that Meidhall heard as she slipped into unconsciousness.

...Nazarick...

Meidhall's eyes gradually opened. They fluttered a bit, and then she took in her surroundings. She was on 'something' a slab of stone it felt like, at the base of a set of stairs. She shivered, memory started to return. 'The demoness, I fought her… I was winning. Then… that thing hit me. Shit, she came from that being…' The thoughts running through her mind were leading her to the inescapable conclusion of her current circumstances, but it was the voice of the Sorcerer King that yanked her all the way into the present.

"Oh good, you're awake. Welcome to my home." Ainz said in a noble but merciless voice. Meidhall turned her head and followed her gaze up the stairs until she saw the nightmare that had plagued her dreams, the butcher of the Katze Plains, the summoner of the bleating abominations.

She struggled to move, it did no good. "You would break your limbs trying to exert the force needed to escape that spell." Ainz said calmly, "You simply are too weak."

Meidhall whimpered, "Is it true?" She asked.

"What?" Ainz asked.

"Is my mother dead, did that demoness kill her?" Meidhall asked sadly.

"Yes." Ainz replied firmly. "Her body was delivered here and preserved, raising her from the dead was to be part of the deal in securing your surrender."

Meidhall began to wail quietly. "I can't… I can't betray my country, my father…"

"I've already been told of your answer." Ainz answered from where he sat.

"Then… why am I here? Why am I alive… Oh god, what are you going to do to me…" Meidhall began to tremble.

"You are going to die. It is as simple as that." Ainz said, "Like your mother before you. Speaking truthfully, after the way you worked over my servant, I wanted to make it slow, but you should know, she pleaded on your behalf for me to be merciful to you."

Meidhall's eyes went wide as saucers. "What? The demoness asked for mercy for me?"

"Yes. She said it was an honest fight, that you were fighting for your mother and your country. She said she didn't see anything in you that made you deserve a lingering death." Ainz explained patiently.

Meidhall was breathing hard now at this casual discussion of her end.

"Did my mother… suffer?" She whimpered out as she started to cry tears of mourning.

"I'm told that no, she didn't, she neither saw nor felt a thing." Ainz said in a slow, patient and sonorous tone.

"A merciful demoness… I never imagined such a thing." Meidhall whispered as her gaze went up to the ceiling.

"She is an erinyes, a tisiphone fury, she avenges the murdered, but she serves as an extension of my will, as all my servants do. She is not needlessly cruel to those who do not deserve it." Ainz explained from atop his throne.

"So, why 'am' I still alive, if I am to die anyway? You must want something?" She inquired with as brave a voice as she could muster, even as tears for her fallen mother fell down her cheeks and dripped to the stone slab on which she lay.

"To serve two final purposes." Ainz said, and Meidhall turned her head, an odd looking figure approached, it was androgynous, she had no idea what it was, it had only three holes on a blank face. Before she could ask anything, she saw it meet her gaze, and then transformed to the complete imitation of the scryer, she stared up at her own face in horror.

"That is the first one, one way or another, you will serve Nazarick to end this war." Ainz answered as if he were explaining the turning of the seasons to a child. "That one will be taking your place, and giving Dominic all the wrong information for the rest of the war."

Meidhall wanted to scream, but before she could...as the duplicate of her stepped away, another figure stepped into view, an elf. "This is Nua. A slave of your country for several times your living years. She spent most of that time powerless and fearful, but she has expressed an interest in striking back, so you are her 'test'." He said, and to Meidhall's further horror, the skeletal being reached into nothing and drew from it a beautiful dagger. He held it aloft so it could be clearly seen in all its terrible, beautiful, exquisite workmanship, and then he cast it down the steps as if it were cast off trash. Its every clatter was like thunder until it slid along the floor to the elf slave's feet.

Meidhall could scarcely believe that so flawless a treasure could be so casually thrown about, let alone to a mere slave. She was breathing faster, her heart pounded as she understood the extent of the nightmare her nation faced, as a result of such a simple dismissive gesture.

Nua felt her heart beat like she was fleeing for her life, when the dagger landed at her feet, she crouched down and picked it up. She looked down at the blue haired girl as she fiddled anxiously with the knife in her hand. "So it is true? You're the daughter of the man who is continuing to orchestrate the horrors of our existence?" She asked in a tender, almost whimpering voice.

Meidhall did not deny it. "I am." She kept her calm as she answered, but inside, she raged in frustration.

"He kept us in brothels, when he could have gotten us out… Raymond told me, the way he sneered at the notion that the women of our people had any use other than serving humans. He could have said we were people, instead he called us animals… You're really 'his' daughter? A man like that can have a girl child and love her, even as he sets other girls to such horrible ends?" Nua's voice was full of disbelief.

Meidhall didn't say anything.

"Well… don't you have anything to say, aren't you going to defend him?" Nua's voice began to rise in anger.

"What am I to you?! Don't I draw breath?! Don't I weep?! Don't I laugh?! Does my heart not beat?! Why?! How?! How could you all?! Don't you know what you've all been doing to us?! For all your visions, did you never see us?! Did you know what was happening?! Did you care?! How can you see so much, scryer, and still be blind to what was happening?!" Nua started to shout down at the black Scripture member so fiercely that spittle flew from her lips and tears scattered about with the violent shaking of her head, both to land upon the blue hair of Dominic's daughter in turn. "Speak! What are we, that we deserved what your people were doing to us?!"

Meidhall didn't turn her gaze away as tears of pent up rage heaped down on her. She took a deep breath. "You are mine enemy." She answered calmly.

"Not anymore!" Nua screamed and raised the knife and brought it down straight into Meidhall's throat. She shrieked and raised the knife again, and brought it down hard enough to chip the stone beneath her prey. Blood pumped and fountained out, as Thousand Mile Astrologer gurgled and labored to draw one more breath, Nua kept screaming out her rage as she raised and plunged the knife down again and again until she fell to the floor on her knees, sobbing and tired. The knife fell and clattered to the floor. Thus, Thousand Mile Astrologer… died.

Vanysa approached and wrapped her now restored arms and wings around the sobbing form of the elf slave. Nua's face fell into Vanysa's chest, and for a long time all she could do was stain the golden skin with tears. That was the only sound in the throne room for several minutes, except for one violent expulsion of vomit from the elf onto the demoness, who to her credit, ignored it.

Finally Solution looked up to their master, "Has she passed the test, Sire?"

Ainz inclined his head favorably, "She has, though she'll need a lot of practice, that was kind of a hack job."

"Practice makes perfect." Vanysa grinned up at her master as she reminded him of the wisdom he had imparted to her a long time ago.

"See that she gets a lot of it." Ainz said encouragingly. "Have her body wrapped for preservation, we might have a use for her later. Also have the rest of the mess cleaned up but… do not summon Tuare for it, this is a little much for her."

Solution smiled happily. "At once, My Lord, and then we return to Kami Miyako?"

"You do, things are going to get very busy over there, very quickly." He said sagely.

"Yes… yes they will." Vanysa said happily as she rubbed Nua's back to calm the slave down. "There there," she whispered into Nua's ear, "there there, how do you feel, are you OK?"

Nua clung tightly to her and bit her own lip to keep more sobs at bay until she could find her voice. Then she looked up at the demoness's beautiful gray eyes and said in a hushed voice, "I don't know but...I'm sorry about the mess, and…" her eyes went hard with determination, she did not so much as blink, as she stated, "I am ready for more."

**AN: Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Lot of character development here if I do say so myself. Yeah yeah I know you want me to go do the main story, but just be patient, I've got the commissioned story and this one to wrap up, LOTS of writing to do but fear not, each one I complete, brings us closer to the final climax. In the meantime, if you want early story access, join my discord (link in the author page) if you want to see my original work, and of course help me write for you full time, you can support me on patr3 on at slash tellingstories. Alright, that's all for now as we race toward the final conclusion of Blood in the Streets.**


	20. All Good Things

Blood in the Streets

Written by: AtheistBasementDragon

Edited by: The Usual Gang of Drunken Perverted Idiots

Chapter 20: All Good Things...

_...Raymond's Home..._

The office had barely emptied and the hellish reports on his desk were barely registering when the knock came. "Damn it! What now?" Raymond wondered, he put his hands to his head and tried to still the rising shaking brought on by anxiety. "Will I never have a moment to get a handle on everything?" He asked the desk beneath his eyes. It did not answer, desks tended not to speak.

He dropped his hands and took a deep breath, "Enter!" He said loudly. The door opened and he found himself confronted with his compatriots. His breathing became relieved and regular, the beating of his heart less rapid. "I'm so glad it's you two. This has been a trying day." Raymond said as they claimed seats opposite himself. "I welcome some relief."

"Well, I wish we were the ones bringing it." Ginedine said as he folded his hands into his lap. "But I'm afraid that is only the case if tomorrow goes well."

"We're going to bring down Dominic." Berenice interjected before Raymond could ask the question.

"So much for relaxation." Raymond said with a laugh, "But can you pull it off?" He asked with a dangerous look in his eyes.

Berenice was fidgeting nervously as she spoke. "Yes. The Pontifex Maximus is ready to reclaim power, he's informed us of your intentions, and we've found a pair of guards to support us and we've arranged for them to be on shift that day. Both of them have lost people to Dominic's war, and if what we've heard about the events in Yanana are accurate, there will be thousands of more families feeling the same way."

"So I read." Raymond replied, "Prart, Wenmark, Yanana... and she's coming this way?"

"So our information says." Ginedine replied. "Gods, the reports never stop coming, and every time they come, they tell us we made a very bad decision, embarking on this war."

"We should have known that from the gathering in the Draconic Kingdom, no, we should have known that before..." Berenice replied, "Backing Remedios... that idiot, was always a mistake. But who knew it could lead to this?"

None could meet the eyes of their comrades as they sought and failed to find an answer to that question. "Remember Justicar? That... love note... she left for us dangling from his severed head?" Raymond whispered.

"Black Justice will not forget." Ginedine said as if by rote. "I laughed when I read that. I remember thinking 'what could topple the gods chosen?' I remember thinking her organization was a petty threat to be put down and what could their threats of revenge mean to us? Now I'm finding out and wondering what will be left. Could she really have done that to the city?"

"It is worse than that." Raymond said, "This was waiting for me last night, it is part of what we're to discuss tomorrow." He slid the document over to them, "If you haven't seen your copies, then they're probably waiting for you already."

Berenice took it up and read it. "They're all going to die, all those sons and daughters of our nation... how did they manage this?" Without waiting for an answer, she then handed it to Ginedine.

"I can't believe it. I just can't believe it." He set the document down as if afraid it was a snake about to bite him. "I... I know we're doing the right thing by our country to end this war, to save... as many as we can. But this? This amounts to surrender for the entire Southern Holy Kingdom. Our soldiers, what will happen to our soldiers there... how will they get home... by the gods... it'll mean massacre."

"Neia won't see it that way, but yes, it does. Our country was outmaneuvered again, by giving in to exactly what we sought. Maybe I can beg her, or her master, for their lives." Raymond laughed bitterly. "On the plus side, it means things will end sooner. We'll have another what... twenty thousand dead, never to come home again, and the Black Paladin will march over their corpses."

"Killing Dominic could end this soonest, this is 'his' war, this is 'his' crusade, if he's dead, we have a chance at negotiating a peace of some sort before our nation is empty." Berenice said, her matronly voice strained and her feet tapping anxiously. "It might even save all those soldiers, before, well, as I said, before our country is 'empty'.

"Empty?" Raymond asked, biting his lower lip as her meaning began to dawn on him.

"Yes, the dungeons are practically vacant, the mage schools are being picked clean of everyone with an ounce of talent, several aren't even holding classes anymore and the teachers have been called up. It's like we're being 'culled'. How much of a population loss can we sustain before we collapse from within, unable to sustain our infrastructure?" She asked rhetorically.

"Has Dominic thought that through, do you think?" Ginedine asked.

"Probably, but he really expects that the six will descend and save us, and I think both Maximillian and Yvon believe the same. I stayed behind after the last meeting, not with him, just lingered at the door to talk to a guard, and I overheard him talking to himself, do you know what he said?" She asked.

"What?" Raymond inquired, leaning forward with great interest, eyes focused on hers in fascination at the potential for insight into the Cardinal of Wind.

"He said, 'They will come and save us, you will come and save us, I know you will, your children die to work your will... you will not abandon us now...'" she looked at her comrades, "That is what we are dealing with, it doesn't matter what the casualties are, he knows what they are because he's getting the same reports we do, but he and the others are really holding to the gods descending to save humanity again."

"So surrender talk, negotiation... becomes blasphemy, blasphemy becomes heresy... and we all know the penalty for that." Ginedine repeated in a terrified whisper, his eyes welled up with tears of fear.

"And General Baraja is threatening to come east and burn our cities to ashes, making good on her promise of revenge. She doesn't even have to exterminate the populations herself, just drive them out, the land can't sustain so many. If she wins in the west, within a month there will be humans begging to be slaves in exchange for food, and that is if they don't fall to eating each other or preying on our own villages." Raymond felt his mouth go dry and his skin imitate the dead.

"That I should live, to see my country thus..." Ginedine shook his head and let it fall into his hands. He did not look up when he said, "That is why we strike tomorrow, we're setting up a spelltrap, when he starts speaking, it goes off. The guards then ambush the remainder, and we'll negotiate a peaceful end to all this. Free the slaves, and our nation's soul can be renewed."

Raymond wasn't sure if he was stating his hopes or trying to convince himself his hopes had a real chance of success, but there was no impulse to dash them. "Bold, and perhaps that will be enough. I don't want that monster executing her payback on my country. If we have to lose to save ourselves, then this will spare more than they will."

"I wish you both luck." Raymond said warmly, then he got up and went to where they sat, then shook both their hands, "May the gods bring us victory and peace."

"We'll drink to that at the end." Ginedine said with a weary smile that showed every bit of his great age.

"Alright, I've got to draft a letter that will arrive just a little too late." Raymond said with equal weariness.

"Till then." Berenice said and stood up. They bowed politely to one another, and then his two comrades departed, leaving him alone as he sat down to write, he was only interrupted once more before bed, when his servants took delivery of two bottles from Necran Adama. Having them secured in the basement with the other was a welcome laugh before he went to sleep.

_...Nazarick..._

When Ainz accidentally dropped the dagger, he thought his dignity went with it, but as luck would have it, the damn thing went right to the feet of the little elf woman. He kept his back ramrod straight and with slow nobility he'd put his hand back down onto the armrest of the Throne of Kings. 'Well, that was almost awkward. I guess seeing Demiurge actually pull out a healing potion to see to our resident fury was more jarring to me than I thought. I really thought he was going to kill Thousand Mile Astrologer for a moment. Guess the demoness is useful to him.' Ainz reflected after the scripture woman lay dead in the throne room.

Meidhall's body was a thorough mess, blood still dripped from the corpse. Nua was a blubbering wreck after her first kill, but she had 'passed'. When the elf finally got control over herself, Vanysa stood and helped the girl up. "Master, anythin else? Ah done whatcha needed, but if'n yah want me tah go back'n... hunt..." The demonic eyes glowed with a happy gray like a cloud that was glad of the lightning it was to unleash.

"No, you have done what you needed, as long as you've passed on all relevant information or do so shortly, then you may return to working with Demiurge, I want the final phase of the project ready for a full test before General Enri goes to Wheaton." Ainz said as he struck 'Patient Undead Pose Number One'.

"Who'll be the first'n then, master?" The demoness asked curiously.

"Remedios. We will start with Remedios Custodio." He replied with the tranquility of a placid lake.

"Nua, how do you feel?" He asked gently, turning from one matter to the other absolutely seamlessly.

Nua looked up at the unbeatable being that had given her the chance to strike back. "My Lord, I feel... terrible. I didn't know that girl, except that she was human and the daughter of Cardinal Dominic, what did she do to me?" She looked down at the knife in her hand that she had picked up again without noticing. "I thought... for over a hundred years I thought... if 'only' I could strike back, if only I could hurt them like so many had hurt me, then maybe I could be at peace, maybe I could be happy. It always seemed like so many enjoyed it. I saw, from within the Lady Solution, the fight between your servant and the Black Scripture woman, they were both so violent. So bloodthirsty, even as they tried to kill each other they had common ground because of it."

Nua took the knife in her hand and laid it atop the body, resting it on the still and lifeless breast of Thousand Mile Astrologer. She looked at the bloody mess she'd made, and found herself stroking the cheek that was already growing cold to the touch. Her lip quivered hard enough that her chin wrinkled as she spoke, and her eyes misted over. "But when I took this one's life, I didn't feel powerful, I didn't feel relief, I didn't feel happiness or peace, all I felt was emptiness. Like I was a vessel of anger poured out over her, and now there's nothing left and I feel worse than ever."

"I... I want to learn how to kill... still. I don't want to be prey forever, I know that much, but I..." She ceased to speak as she went around the body, closer to the stairs, and lowered herself prostrate with her forehead to the stone, "I am not fit to hunt as they do. Please, forgive me for failing your test, god of death and justice."

Ainz stood up from his throne and descended the stairs, one noble step at a time echoed throughout the chamber until he reached the base of the stairs. "Knowing who you are, is victory enough." He said when he stood over her. "You will learn to defend yourself, so that you will not be prey again, but I will not demand you to perform work for which you are not suited. The world in which you reside needs those who can heal wounds as much as it needs those who can inflict them... sometimes more. Stand up, go back to the house with Raymond, learn from my maid demon what you can, and wait for what tomorrow will bring."

His every noble word slammed home into her heart, and when he gave her position to rise, she did so only so that she could bow deeply. She wiped her nose of snot and cleaned her face with her sleeve.

"Good luck out there, ah'll be rootin fer yah." Vanysa said and with another nod from the Sorcerer King, she whirled and began to skip her way cheerfully out of the throne room as though she hadn't just watched a grizzly slaughter unfold.

"Solution, Doppel One, return to Kami Miyako with Nua and carry out your assignments, I have work to do." Ainz said, and without waiting for confirmation, he walked regally past their bows toward his private office.

_...Kami Miyako..._

The next morning Raymond got up and went about his usual tasks to prepare for the day, the children of the house were set to learning while the adults bustled about as faithful servants would. The only break to the routine was to spend an hour with Nua to talk to her about what she'd experienced.

"I thought I could kill you all if I had enough power." She said with a gentle voice as she sat opposite him in his office. "I thought I had so much hate inside me that I'd never run out and could cut you all apart... but even with the daughter of the worst of men, someone dedicated to protecting this country and this system, who called me her enemy with her last breath... all I could do was pity her corpse. I felt so weak for so long, and I seem to have confirmed it. No wonder I was a slave for a century and a half and then some, I really was as weak as I feared." She said in a hushed tone of disappointment as her feet fidgeted with one another nervously on the floor.

Raymond stood up from his desk and looked out the window, folding his hands behind his back in thought for a moment. "Nua, do you see that bird out the window there?" He asked.

She got up and walked over to where he stood. "I do, what of it, Raymond?" She asked.

"Do you think it can run like a horse when it is on the ground? Or swim like a fish beneath the water?" He asked patiently.

"No, of course not, it's a bird." She snorted dismissively, "Is this a joke?" She asked him doubtfully. "Are you trying to distract me?"

He shook his head, "No, it excels at what it does, it does as its nature dictates that it should do. Zesshi was a skilled warrior, but couldn't cook worth a damn. I know, I shared a camp with her a time or two, utterly useless at fieldcraft." He let out a faux shudder and laughed a bit at the memory before he continued, "You don't have the nature of a killer, you don't have the temperament or instinct for it. You're brave, braver than you credit yourself for, but your nature is a kind one. You're a healer, be proud of that. It is in the end, going to make a better world than all the master swordsmen who ever lived or ever will live, ever did or ever could. You may be more necessary than I ever was, when the last weapon is sheathed."

He touched her shoulder gingerly and gave her a wan smile, "Don't think yourself weak because you'd rather give life than take it. If the whole world felt that way, it'd be a much happier and less violent place. Sadly, we grow tired of singing, dancing, music and love, far sooner than we grow tired of war. But when this ends, perhaps nobody will have to worry about that again. I only regret that I won't be around to see it."

That brought her pondering up short. "What are you talking about, Raymond?" She asked with concern in her voice. Her eyes shone with fear and her lip trembled to even ask the question.

"Did you forget that I'm a Cardinal of the Theocracy? Leading a nation actively engaged in offenses that the Sorcerer King has already started sending people away to trial for? I do not expect to live long after this war ends, either today's events succeed and I'll be tried for my role in this nation's governance... or they'll fail and we'll eventually be defeated. Then I will either die in the siege or I will be tried after the war is over when I'm captured. What other end can you see for me?" He smirked at the question, as if the answer was obvious.

"Oh." She looked down and played with her hands for a moment, "I, well... if there's a trial, I'll testify for you. I won't let you die that easy, not after all the trouble you put me through last time." She said with a matching smirk and misted eyes.

"Thank you, I appreciate it. But now, I'd better get going. Wish us luck out there today." He said and held her hand a moment within his own, then departed, leaving Nua alone.

"First lesson, always get out of the way." Solution's voice interrupted her reverie and a solid but controlled blow struck her shoulder from behind, sending her stumbling forward.

Nua rubbed her shoulder as she regained her balance. "Ah, I didn't think we'd start so soon, or... here." She blinked at the inhuman smile.

"That's lesson two, the ones who want to hurt you, rarely abide by your convenience. Now take a stance like this one..." Solution said with amusement in her voice as Nua tried to copy her.

A carriage ride to a meeting was normally a quick thing, however to Raymond as he rode along, every turning of the wheels beneath his seat seemed to take an eternity. The letter went out by the least reliable courier, with a little extra coin that would surely see its way to a tavern before the letter could reach Dominic.

He rested his chin in his hand and propped his arm up on the window and watched the city roll past, as he watched he noticed that the streets were busy, but there were fewer men than there had been before. It didn't take much sense to realize that the levies had gone out that morning. "How many this time? A thousand? Five thousand? Ten? How many of you will come home? How many of you will die because of my decision to undermine this country? Will history understand that it wasn't a light decision? That there really was no choice?" These and other questions he spoke to the silence of the empty seats around him, it might as well have been the world.

Criers were out in the streets shouting the news. The 'news' was mostly about how wonderful the war was going under Dominic's leadership, but nobody seemed to notice how it was contradicted by other 'news' about the horrors inflicted upon the followers of the gods by the demoness of war, Neia Baraja.

When he reached his destination he went by rote rather than by thought, every step trod a thousand times before, and habit kept him moving as it always did. The long halls, the cold stone, door after door, the same people to whom he'd waved to over and over again in his years of service. To all of them, nothing was amiss.

So it was that he kept his face and body calm as he entered the chamber. His eyes fell to the spot once frequently occupied by Zesshi, it was empty now, and always would be, and once again his begged forgiveness in his heart for his failure to her as he took his seat.

Minor matters came first and they spoke from around their seats, trivial accountings of city business, and Raymond delivered an accounting of the production estimates for the elf slave labor beyond the city, the estimate was a bit inflated, but it kept the interests of his rivals. Plus Dominic got the credit, so nobody critiqued anything, especially not the inspections that were in the end, glowing.

Raymond had to hide a smirk at that.

Then came the more serious matters. Dominic reached over and took up an oversized paper.

"What do you think?" Dominic held up the poster.

Raymond and the others looked at it. The painting showed the black eyes, the green armor, the legendary bow...

It was a good representation of the black Paladin, with special emphasis on the demonic eyes. In her left hand was a head, near to hand the body of a priest. Behind her a temple burned.

Below was a simple statement: "We must stop her."

As he looked over the picture, he thought about what he'd heard the crier say on the way here. "She is the traitor of humanity! She is the daughter of death and the slayer of the holy! You and you alone are our hope, submit to the gods and their chosen speaker! Offer your strength or see her who sacrifices her own people, that killer of children, who will place her boot upon the necks of your loved ones..."

On and on the haranguing went, stories of Neia's evil, slaying a governor, burning cities, killing her own country's greatest champion. The twisted brilliance was not lost on Raymond, it was all at least 'partially' true. Thus he saw the brilliant power of fear as a tool of control that Dominic now used.

"And this one?" Dominic asked, taking up another and holding it up. It showed a theocracy soldier in gleaming armor standing behind Dominic, below, arrayed against them were demihuman and undead hordes with twisted evil faces. Below the stark image was the simple phrase, "They stand between you and them." Even the illiterate could understand the message.

Dominic held up a handful of other pieces of fear driving posters before saying, "These will be plastered all over the city starting today."

Maximillian and Yvon traded approving looks. "Perfect, that should drive the recruitment numbers up and help balance out the bad news that has been filtering in from... well, everywhere else. The faith of the people will be renewed to greater fervency, as long as we can field armies, we will eventually triumph." Maximillian said confidently.

Yvon thought it over before saying, "It's good, but I can't help but think that if there were some more stark displays around the city, it might hammer home the importance of faith and our mission."

"What do you mean...?" Berenice asked with a hint of dread in her voice.

"With the breakers gone and the murders and so on, we're seeing disciplinary problems among the slave population. Hell, Raymond got injured because of a discipline problem, remember?" Yvon said with calm rationalism, "So I say we tighten things up with the slaves, set tighter curfews, increase the death penalty offenses to thin out their numbers so that there aren't enough to rebel. We have to thin them out anyway to compensate for the reduced population since we've begun sending more people into fresh divisions. After what happened at Crossroads, we've had to send a lot more people out of the trades to fight. That means we're both more reliant on elf labor, but that labor conversely is now a weakness. We need to ensure they stay frightened of the consequences of fighting back, or we'll end up with blood in our streets."

Dominic, seemingly moved by the statement, went over to the podium, and no sooner did he raise a finger and open his mouth to speak, than the sound of thunder tore through the air as the flame spell burst.

Dominic went flying back from the force, he felt his body slam into the wall, and the semiconscious part of his mind was vaguely reminded of the day the wave hit. His body was a mass of pain, he felt his flesh burning, he couldn't see, he couldn't hear, but he could smell the charred flesh.

"It's an attack! Get out of here!" Ginedine shouted and gestured to the door as he tried to rise from the floor, none of them could hear from the close sound and powerful echo, posters flew everywhere, many of them caught fire when the sparks landed on them, sending burning papers flying around like a tornado of flame. He pointed at the door for emphasis, but neither Maximillian or Yvon were much for moving either, both had been blown back by the blast of magic and were slow to respond.

Raymond was the least impacted, having seated himself closest to where Zesshi used to stand, while both Berenice and Ginedine had taken some small damage, similar to what their counterparts had taken, it was clear that Dominic, per the plan, had gotten the worst of it.

Raymond coughed and hacked as he staggered to the door, "Guards, guards!" He managed before he fell in a heap after opening the door to them.

He suppressed a smile as he saw Dominic laying there with burns all over his body. Only to look on with horror as one guard took out his blade, and thrust it into the throat of his comrade, the man dropped with a heavy thud, surprise frozen on his face. The murderous figure withdrew a healing potion and poured it over Dominic. It was fresh and relatively high grade, it did its work swiftly. The guard then approached and soundly rapped Ginedine and Berenice on the backs of their heads with the pommel of his blade as they shouted and struggled to regain sense. He then bound them fast and approached Maximillian and Yvon.

_`By the Six Gods, what the hell is happening...`_ thought Raymond Zarg Lauransan just before he lost consciousness.

**AN: Well this story has been a fun ride so far but it is about to close out. It's a fair bit ahead of where God Rising is so far, so it is time to wrap it up and get back to the main one. Hope you like the hints about what is to come, I think one more long chapter and an epilogue will wrap this up nicely. Just a related note, I figure I should explain one thing. Some of you were surprised to see Vanysa thrown into this one, truth be told, I hadn't planned on using her at all originally. But I made a mistake. I did not create an additional character suitable for intelligence work that could 'blend in' and pair with Pandora's Actor or ferret out possible support. And unfortunately 'canon Nazarick' is really short on that too, hell it's canon that they're short on it, being remarked upon in the LN, its why uber powerful figures had to be used. I didn't want to just pull one out of my ass at the last minute, so I turned to one with an established skillset. I admit I liked how she paired with P.A. good chemistry there, but if I were to go back in time to where I started this one, I would have created a former 8 fingers member or someone who learned from Hilma or something, and used that instead. So a mistake in planning on my part, hope it didn't hurt the story too much. Oh also... kudos to those of you who picked out some historical parallels. :)**

**Obligatory plug: Join my discord server, support my original work on pat r3on, links in the author page, and of course, I always enjoy your reviews. **


	21. Must Come to an End

**Blood in the Streets**

**Written by: AtheistBasementDragon**

**Edited by: The Usual Gang of Drunken Perverted Idiots**

**Chapter 21: Must Come to an End**

_...Kami Miyako..._

"Well, that could have gone better." Berenice said glumly as she stood chained to the stone wall.

"No, that was just what was supposed to happen." Ginedine replied caustically.

"How long do you think they were onto us?" Berenice asked.

"Probably from the time a guard was approached." Ginedine replied after a moment's thought. He tried to reach up and scratch his nose, but found that the chains that secured him would not let him come close enough.

The room around them was of smooth stone, not rough cut blocks, there was no dripping water or even any filth. The table in the center was ornate and well made, as was the chair farthest from them.

"Well, this isn't a prison, but I could be more comfortable. Where do you think Raymond is?" Berenice asked curiously. "And... can you tell if there is anyone out there? You used to run one of these facilities after all."

"We're alone. This is one of the dead rooms, guards go up and down the halls on patrols, but not in front of individual cells. That way there is no chance of conversation, based on the pace count I'd say we've got about a minute. So as far as Raymond goes... I don't know, at a guess he was taken to a station somewhere, perhaps the cover worked for him." Ginedine's creaky old voice proposed.

They were still discussing that when the whorling impossible 'gate' opened in the air in front of them and out of it stepped a pretty young woman, more like a girl really. Mauve hair and long flowing maid clothes that seemed like they should have been a hindrance but were in fact, not. She had red unmoving, unblinking eyes and walked close with small, tiny steps that matched her very small feet.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Ginedine asked, blinking in disbelief.

"Funny question." The girl said in a voice that fit her quite flawlessly. "I mean, you've only got your own eyes, same as she's only got hers, how would she know what you see? I mean I 'hope' you both see me. But... who can say?" She brought her robe up to her face and covered her mouth as she laughed while the two cardinals tried to work out just what was going on.

She then casually reached out and ripped open the chains holding Berenice, stretching the steel enough that she could slip her hands out. She was just about to tell the young girl 'thank you' when she felt the girl's arms go swiftly round her and pick her up. "Wait, where are we going, what are we doing?!" Berenice asked as she started to struggle.

The struggle was futile, that much was obvious, whatever her appearance, an ordinary young girl this was not. "No need to worry, you're perfectly safe." The girl replied as she walked toward the gate. "My name is Entoma, and I am a maid for the Sorcerer King. He's keeping a deal with Zesshi."

That made Berenice stop struggling long enough for them to pass through the gate, and true to the words of the young girl, she found herself deposited not 'gracefully' but not 'ungently' either, at the base of the steps in front of the Sorcerer King.

"Welcome to my home, Cardinal Berenice." The skeletal being said in the terrible, noble, beautiful voice she remembered from their last meeting. He raised a hand from the armrest of his throne and gestured to her, and a maid approached to stand behind her.

"Thank you... ah, Your Majesty, but... why am I here?" She asked, dazed as she stood up and brushed herself off.

"Have you forgotten about Zesshi's request?" Ainz asked in surprise.

"No sire, I mean, am I a prisoner or...?" She let the question fall off a bit nervously.

"No, you may consider yourself to be my guest, of course I must 'require' your presence here, but your confinement is limited to a few months, only until this conflict ends. After which you will be released. However, you will not be treated as a prisoner. You will be treated as a guest, given quarters and... as you can see from Tuare there, a human maid to attend you.

"What about Ginedine... he is also one of my comrades, he's still there." She said hopefully.

"You dare ask more of the graciousness of Lord Ainz!" Albedo snapped and began to grow angry.

"Enough, Albedo, she is only asking for a comrade, any of you would do the same for yours." Ainz said as he touched her hand to calm her.

"As you wish, Lord Ainz." Albedo said, her wings trembling with excitement.

For a moment, that sparked hope in Berenice's heart, only for her to see it dashed when Ainz then said, "Zesshi bargained for two lives, not three." Ainz paused a second before adding in a thoughtful tone, "Yet... he has rendered some service to your cause. We can repay him at least, by ensuring he is not allowed to suffer."

"Entoma, return to the room with the doppel, as it takes position, 'assist' Cardinal Ginedine with ending his life, do not allow him to suffer, but aid his end with the surest mercy." Ainz made his instructions succinct and direct, and the young girl wasted no time in carrying them out.

"What is the doppel for?" Berenice asked with surprise.

"To play dead, they can bear wounds much more serious than a human can, yet still appear to be human. He will take on the look of your corpse, complete with blood, and be resecured in your place. When the Agante come for you, they will find both of you to be corpses and Dominic's plan for a trial will be ruined."

Ginedine could scarcely believe it when his colleague was carried off like a sack of potatoes by the young girl who was... obviously anything but what she seemed. "Care to tell me what's happening?" He asked when she reappeared with Berenice.

"Uh? Hello?" He said as he watched dumbfounded while Berenice resecured herself. "Berenice what are you doing?"

"Be with you in a moment." Entoma said as she helped make everything exactly as it was.

With nothing else to do, he simply waited and watched. Finally, Entoma went over to where he stood. "OK, long story short. That isn't Berenice, that is a doppel who is about to fake her death, the real Berenice is in the Sorcerous Kingdom. She will live."

"And me?" He asked hopefully, only to see Entoma shake her head.

"No. You may remember the way you voted. True, you've been of help since, but the bargain is unchanged. Still, my master is kind, and will not let you linger under the tortures of Dominic." Entoma reached into her robe and drew out a bottle.

"What is that?" Ginedine asked.

"A sleeping potion, you take this, then I slit your wrist and make it look like you used the manacle on your wrist to do it. You will die without any pain." She said with a surprisingly kind voice.

"What of all those we've assisted, the ones we managed to free? Will they be safe?" Ginedine asked as he thought about the elves waiting in his home.

"I wouldn't know what the Supreme One has in mind, but Raymond will be free, and he will see to that, you can die in peace, knowing that you have won at least one more victory by denying Dominic the chance to gloat. And if it helps, you did kill Maximillian." She said, patting his hand kindly.

"It'll have to do, alright, give me the potion." He said, and Entoma brought it to his lips. Ginedine drank deeply. "Wish everybody good luck for me, would you?" He gave a wrinkled old smile, his eyes twinkled wisely one more time, and then his lids grew heavy and they started to close.

When they were shut completely and his breathing became slow and regular, Entoma slit his wrist, then used her sharp claws to cut a kind of crude edge to the manacle and rubbed some of the blood into it. She then put his lips into the shape of a smile, and it was done. "Hey Doppel two, when you make yourself look all dead and bloody, put a smile on 'her' face, would you?"

"Happy to." Doppel two replied, revealing a twisted sense of humor of its own. Ginedine was dead within minutes of the closure of the gate.

Necran woke up groggy, that wasn't unusual. What was unusual was the lack of a hangover. "Oh, right." The events of the previous day came back to him. The Agante agents storming his home, the black bag over his head, the truncheon blow to his skull. "Worst night's sleep ever." He grumbled.

He felt the bag be yanked off his head, and above his face was that of Dominic. "You could have just scheduled an appointment you know." He said sarcastically. "Such extreme measures," he popped his arms and legs out a bit until the chains he felt on them, snapped taut, "are hardly necessary. I'm sure I could schedule all the time you need."

Dominic looked up, "Yarvin, bring me a drink. Looks like my old friend here wants to ramble on with a few final words."

Necran shifted his gaze to look for the one Dominic was speaking to and finally managed to crane his head enough for a look at the elf servant.

"Make it two." Necran added.

"One, Yarvin." Dominic corrected succinctly.

"As you wish, master." Yarvin replied and exited the study.

"You always were petty." Necran said with a smirk.

"If you win, it doesn't matter how petty you are." Dominic said pointedly and then took a seat nearby, the fire was warm and comforting. "Well, looks like we have a minute, Yarvin is very efficient, so not much more than that."

"Funny, I didn't expect you to have an elf working for you here." Necran said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yarvin has been with my family for well over a hundred years, he's extremely loyal, hell he practically raised me after my father died." Dominic answered.

"Spare me the details, just tell me what I'm doing here." Necran demanded in annoyance. "If I'm not going to have one last drink, I surely don't want to 'watch' you have one."

"I just wanted you to know how useless your effort was, and find out what you really thought you were going to accomplish. What was your master plan here? Kill me and then what... make peace? Let that damned undead become a god in the eyes of the people? Maybe give Pope Neia a palace here in Kami Miyako?" Dominic's fist clenched as his questions became ever more sarcastic and crazed with fury.

He did not stop until Yarvin returned with a goblet in hand and touched Dominic's shoulder gently. "Master... the wine." He said in a tender voice.

"Yes... thank you, Yarvin." Dominic said as he took a deep breath and leaned forward to where Necran lay on the couch. He took a sip and then said, "Out with it."

"Fine, just wanted to make sure you were done with your little rant." Necran said snarkily. "My plan, after taking power back, was yes, to make peace. Maybe you haven't noticed this, but we're losing. Ikari, Crossroads, Alaf, Yaksun, the entire Holy Robel Kingdom is out, what do you think will happen next? Do you really think the six gods will descend and save us again? I'd at least make peace and give our people a chance at a future, all you'll bring us is ruin. So what if they vote him into the pantheon, whether they do or don't won't decide what he actually is. But our actions do decide whether we have a future or not."

Dominic drank patiently as he let the old fool ramble, he felt his temper rising, but he bore through it until Necran went silent and looked away.

"You've killed me, but also you've killed us." He said as he stared up at the opulent ceiling of Dominic's study.

"We'll _see_. Well, I will, you won't." Dominic said smugly, "Any last requests?" He asked indulgently.

"Yes, after I'm dead, cut off my head and put it on a spike on the western wall, and face my head inward in the direction of the main administrative center." Necran said with a tranquil smile on his face.

Dominic raised an eyebrow at that, "I'm happy to fulfill that request, but... why?"

"You'll understand, in time." Necran replied, "Now go ahead and do it, I'm getting tired of your company."

"Well, perhaps you'll like the company of those I'm sending with you, much better." Dominic said with a smile as he drew out a long knife.

"Company?" Necran asked with surprise.

"Yes, I'm sending out an order tonight, to all the Agante offices in every city of the Slane Theocracy. They'll be taking nice long knives, just like this one," he held up the blade at the pommel and the edge, letting it's edge be revealed by the dancing firelight, "and in the night they'll be taking care of every one of my opponents. Anyone who might be a threat. When the dawn rises at the tip of long knives, there will be nothing holding me back anymore. The priests who listened when you said to vote against me... dead. The local leaders who try to hold back support we call for, the heretics and blasphemers... they'll follow shortly after you. Give them my regards when you see them." Dominic replied, then setting his goblet down after draining the last of it, he raised the knife and brought it down into the neck of Necran Adama, ending the life of the Pontifex Maximus. Curiously, a smile took shape on the face of the Pontifex, and he tried to gargle out a few final words.

Dominic took no notice of them, he got up and straightened his robe. "Well that was satisfying."

"I'm sure it was, master." Yarvin said indifferently, "Shall I summon the shes and hes to dispose of the remains and clean the couch, or would you prefer it be replaced?"

"Replace it." Dominic said, "But do take the head over to the western wall, I want to fulfill this final wish, it will feel good to look that way every day."

"As you wish, master." Yarvin replied with stiff formality.

Raymond clutched his head, that was the first thing he did as he stirred. The blast must have been a bad one even from where he sat. There were chains around his wrists, he heard them rattle before he really felt them. He felt a scrape on his temple. '_Probably the stone of this floor.'_ He thought as he ran his fingers over it. He looked around as he rose from his stomach to his knees and forced himself from there to his feet. "Prison. Yes, definitely prison. Well, this day could have gone better." He grumbled as he started to pace.

Nobody else was in the room with him. He looked up to the window, there was a light there, but as he followed it to the shadow, it was clearly in the wrong position, it was much too long. '_How long was I out?'_ He wondered privately. Not far away, he found a termite riddled chair leaning against a wall. "Ah, what luxury." He remarked sarcastically as he went and took a seat, it creaked uncertainly under his weight, but held. "How kind and considerate of Dominic." He snorted and crossed his arms and legs.

"Hello! Whoever is outside the door, I'm awake now so... let's get on with whatever it is. Maybe you can tell me what the hell happened?" He was loud, but used a polite tone as he tried to ignore the water that dripped down. He heard the sound of rain. "Marvelous, it's going to get freezing in here. I hate the cold."

He heard the fading sound of footsteps, someone was carrying word somewhere at least.

Contrary to his expectations, he did not have to wait for very long. He heard footsteps returning, the rustling of keys in the lock, and then a familiar face presented itself.

"Well, aren't 'you' in a tight spot?" Aalon remarked to him with sarcasm thick enough to drizzle on hotcakes.

"A-Dolorem... what are you doing here?" Raymond inquired with surprise.

"You're in my station, idiot." Dolorem replied somewhat scathingly. "Wow, I get to call a cardinal an idiot to his face."

"Oh. Right. You do that." He said sheepishly as the detail came to mind.

"Yes. And I also get to let you go, so it seems the gods do protect fools and children." Dolorem said with a smirk as he took out another key.

"Wait, what happened?" He asked, but Aalon was silent, gathering his thoughts. "Tell me!" He demanded. "Ginedine, Berenice... Dominic... I lost consciousness, he was on the floor... but I saw..." Aalon shook his head as he came close.

"Dominic is very much alive. Your memory is right, he was very badly hurt, but one of the guards was Agante." Aalon said as he held out his hand and Raymond placed his wrist in the thick meaty hand to get unlocked.

"You'd probably stay locked down here, but apparently Dominic got a letter, 'late' warning him of a plot. It seems the messenger stopped off at a tavern and it didn't arrive until after things went off the way they did." He gave Raymond a wink of praise and as the chain from one wrist came unlatched and fell dangling, he carried on the story of what took place.

"Dominic had the messenger imprisoned here, gave my commander a dressing down, and... as luck would have it, I got his job. All those official messengers ran under him, and I'd written up that little drunken shit a few times for slacking. When Dominic saw my name on the writeups, I got the job. The commander and the drunkard... well, do you want to know?" Aalon asked before pursing his lips tight.

The other chain clinked free and it fell from Raymond's wrists to clatter on the stone below. He started to rub his wrists where they'd chaffed him during his unconsciousness. "Yes, I'd like to know." He replied.

"The drunkard had a funnel stuck in his mouth and then alcohol forced in until he died. The commander was stripped of his rank, made into a common soldier, and is being sent to fight General Enri." Aalon replied with a shudder.

"So two death sentences." Raymond said bluntly.

"Yes, more or less." Aalon confirmed with an abrupt nod.

"So, can I congratulate you on your promotion?" Raymond asked with a grimace.

"Feel free, I didn't like either of those two anyway. I don't like drunkards, and the commander basically bought his job anyway. Frankly getting rid of them made the Theocracy stronger." Aalon said with a roll of his eyes.

"Well then, congratulations. But... what else can you tell me?" Raymond asked, then went deathly quiet as Aalon's face became grave.

He put his hand on Raymond's shoulder and took a deep breath. "Maximillian is dead. Yvon lived but even after healing, he sees the need to recuperate at home. The Agante raided the Pontifex Maximus's home, Necran is being held somewhere, I don't know where. I know Berenice and Ginedine are being charged with treason, but I don't know what they've got to support the charge and I can't ask because I don't know where they're being held either."

"So why am I here?" Raymond asked as he struggled to focus on questions rather than answers.

"Because Dominic had doubts about your involvement, this was a precaution, you know how the Agante are. You'd have been out hours ago thanks to that letter, but... well, since you just woke up and all, what could we do?" Aalon straightened up and put the keys away.

"So I'm free to go?" Raymond asked incredulously.

"Completely, though Dominic left word he wanted to see you sometime today, or tomorrow if you need to recuperate." Aalon confirmed and held his hand out. Raymond took it and allowed Aalon to help him rise.

"I still feel like shit ground under a carriage wheel." He said as he touched his head again.

"Yeah, that'll happen." Aalon said indifferently as he stepped out of Raymond's way. "I had your carriage brought here for you, so you'll be able to take it home."

"How long was I out for?" Raymond asked as they walked toward the door.

"Two days, well, two and a half if you want to get technical." He said casually, opening the door, he gestured for Raymond to precede him.

Raymond froze, "Oh gods, Nua and..." His statement was interrupted by Aalon letting out a mild laugh.

"Relax, I went by the house, Nua..." Aalon looked down, a deep well of sadness washed over his face, he clenched his hand into a fist, "Nua is fine, she was worried, but I told her what happened, the whole house is fine. As soon as Dominic sent word that we could release you after you woke up, I told her what happened. Listen..." He looked around, then after confirming they were alone in the hall, he said in a grateful voice, "Thank you... thank you for taking her, taking care of her. I love Elpida, and I loved my wife... but Nua will always be special to me."

"It's fine, the way I see it, I've got some things to make up for, and she's part of that." Raymond said dismissively. "Will you ride with me the rest of the way home? I'll send you back in my carriage."

"I'd be happy to. Nobody will question it, not after what happened to the commander and the messenger." Aalon replied.

They walked out of the guard house and down the steps, where Raymond's carriage was already waiting for him. They got in and seated themselves, when the door closed and the ride home began, Raymond rested his forearms on his thighs and asked bluntly, "So what happens now for you?"

"Well 'officially' I'm still handling the Hodge case. But 'unofficially' I've picked out someone to pin the murder on. The problem is that some nasty people have been sniffing around. I'm guessing Dominic's Agante. So I'm being careful, they're probably getting suspicious about some of these deaths lately."

He thought for a moment, then added, "So you be careful, too."

"We will be." Raymond replied numbly.

"Also, I have... 'personal business', to see to with the Trisk family in Wheaton. But while that is being taken care of... well, a woman named Thousand Mile Astrologer and her mother came to my home yesterday. After filling me in a little on who they were and why they were there, her mother told me to visit a certain inn and ask for Enlaith. Turned out to be an elf slave but... one with bloodstained hands already, someone we can help to build a small network underground. Things are about to get a whole lot worse but... maybe in harsh soil a seed can still grow." Aalon said, leaning back in the seat in contrast to Raymond's forward leaning posture. Raymond was jarred by the statement. His shock almost registered on his face, however, he kept his thoughts concealed by turning away and changing the topic slightly. '_If Tira is dead, there's a good chance Meidhall is dead too, don't think about it now, ask about it when you get back.'_ He said to himself in his own mind.

"Granted, but..." Raymond stroked his chin and looked out the window. The criers were spreading word of the attack on Dominic and people were gossiping on every corner, his eyes widened ever so slightly as he saw that the painted papers were already up. "Damn, that isn't quite what I meant. Your... well, I guess 'army' is the only word for it."

Aalon's expression became that of a joyful predator, he did not hide his fangs. "My children and my 'mountain elves' have 'officially' surrendered ourselves to the services of the Sorcerer King. He's dispatched a few quagoa, fascinating creatures those, and they'll be doing some digging. We'll connect our tunnels to a few abandoned ones on the other side, then when we get the order..." He brought his fist into his open palm with a satisfying snap like sound.

"That will end things quickly." Raymond said matter of factly.

"That's the way these things should end. There aren't enough of us for a full campaign, but we can seize Feron at least and cut off the iron supply." Aalon was enthusiastic as he spoke, and it troubled Raymond greatly, he kept his eyes out the window.

"How do you do it?" Raymond asked in a tired voice.

"Do what?" Aalon asked, confused.

"You abandoned your humanity, betrayed your country, you're talking about your people out there, and yet... you're so calm about it." Raymond explained.

"I see." Aalon rested his hands on the seat and tapped one foot as he gathered his thoughts. "Well, I'll be honest, it wasn't always that easy. You're doing the same thing, but it is new to you. I've been at this for over a hundred years. You, not even one hundred weeks. This country stopped being mine a long, long time ago. It's kind of strange in a way. I upended my whole life over a girl and threw away my country, not how I expected to live my life when I was twenty. I guess you could say it's easy because I'm used to it."

"I'm definitely not." Raymond replied quietly as he watched the city roll past.

"At least you have a choice." Aalon said with an edge to his voice. "Nua didn't. Nor do a lot of others."

"Don't remind me." Raymond said sharply.

"Don't forget." Aalon said with equal sharpness, for a moment their eyes were in combat, until Aalon looked away. "What is it?"

"We were outmaneuvered again. Politically this time." Raymond said sullenly.

"So, you should be used to that, losing the peace is why you went to war." Aalon said pitilessly.

Raymond's gaze did not avert, but it did look softer as he let the words pass. "Yes, but this time it will cost us the lives of twenty thousand if nothing is done. This is still my country, I'm doing this for our people, not 'just' the elves, but to get us our souls back, to make things right. I can't save the souls of the dead!" Raymond suddenly reached over and grabbed Aalon's shoulders as hard as he could, which was considerable, given his Black Scripture past, and he shouted piteously. "Yes, what we've done is wrong! Yes, I'm a traitor! But I'm betraying it all to save us! But there are twenty thousand men and women, the survivors of the fight in the Roble Holy Kingdom, and they've got Neia Baraja and her armies bearing down on them. If nothing is done, they'll all be slaughtered! She doesn't forget, and if she forgives, I've never seen evidence of it."

"So, what do you want to do about it?" Aalon asked, brushing Raymond's hands aside and keeping his voice calm and even.

Raymond flopped back in his seat. "I don't know. Before, I made a bitter joke about begging for their lives but... maybe I should try it. She can't kill them twice."

When they reached his home, Raymond got out, but as he did so he looked backwards, and said, "Maybe there's nothing more I can do for my country that will change its fate, maybe that time has passed, but I can't give up on fixing things and saving as many lives as I can, for all sides, just yet, the way you have."

Aalon didn't react, he just waited for the door to close and Raymond to send the carriage back to the station.

Only when the door was closed and the carriage on its way did he say quietly, "I wish you luck."

Raymond opened the door to his home and was promptly set upon. He barely had a moment to react, before Nua grabbed his hand and squeezed. "Idiot. You had me worried."

"That is twice I've been called an idiot today, and it seems it was true both times." Raymond said with gallows sarcasm as Nua released her grip and let the younger elf children slide past her to see him.

Solution approached from upstairs, having heard the commotion. The various elves and humans, younger and older, were quick to pick up on the word that the master of the house had returned, and they began to come out to welcome him back.

"See?" Solution said smugly to the teary-eyed elves. "I told you he'd be back."

"Nice to see you were so concerned too, Solution." Raymond said with a sarcastic smirk.

"Ha! As if, human. However 'they'," she said, gesturing to the group, "were yacking about raiding your holding area to rescue you." She laughed with her smile inhumanly wide and clutched her hand to her breast. "And she's the one who came up with it." Solution added, pointing at a now much embarassed Nua.

"I'm glad you talked them out of it." Raymond said, then looked to the gathered servants and residents, "But I'm forever grateful that you were willing to go that far for me."

He spent several minutes embracing servants and wards alike, before he was finally finished and managed to say, "A cardinal's work is never done, so if it is not too much trouble, I could do with some food and drink, I'm famished, please bring it to my office as soon as possible."

He mounted the steps and went promptly to his office as the house went back to its usual routine, a short while later Nua and Solution entered bearing trays of tea and food. The door closed behind them, they laid out the materials in front of him and he rubbed his hands together swiftly in anticipation.

"Thank you both, I'm starving." He said as he looked down at the bowl of thick stew and the fresh baked bread beside it. He let his face hover over it for just a moment and breathed in the meaty, flavorful scent of fresh vegetables and rich spices, he then tore off a hunk of bread from the loaf and hovered his hand over it before freezing in mid-gesture.

"Raymond?" Nua asked cautiously as his hand lowered and he looked down at his lap for a few seconds.

"Five moments of silence. One for the slaves who languish in hunger, one each for Berenice and Ginedine who languish in captivity tonight, one for the soldiers who may die far from home, and lastly, one for myself and my own mortality." He explained, and then dipped the bread into the stew and started to eat. When she heard that, Nua lowered her eyes, sharing in those brief seconds, biting her lip as she did so.

"So, down to business." Solution said and reached into her pocket dimension, from it she pulled a file and dropped it on Raymond's desk. "Finished that one while you were gone. Sort of. I finished off the wife while he was asleep, he'll be blamed for her disappearance. She was a fine woman I thought, one of excellent taste." Solution tittered happily. "I also went through the rest of your files, sort them out in order of priority and I'll take care of the rest, you might have both a taste and a talent for killing, Raymond... but this is my job now. You just give me guidance. Though... I have to admit..." Solution leaned forward and touched his chin with one finger, she tilted his face up to hers and her inhuman smile that went up through her cheeks, graced her face again, "from what I've seen... I would have enjoyed watching you work."

He felt a faint burning where her finger touched his skin, but he didn't jerk away, he only smiled back, with the predatory smile of his youth lighting him up like the sun he replied, "You can have your way, Lady Solution. Just make sure you don't get caught."

Maniacal laughter was returned to him as she let her slime form reveal itself, her arms stretched from a humanlike form, till they were twice the length of human limbs, and her hands cupped his cheeks, the faint sound of a sizzle could still reach his ears and she answered him with, "Oh 'Cardinal' Raymond, getting 'caught' for me only means that I will eat a little more that day. And as one of the finest maids of Nazarick I can promise you, I won't even leave a mess behind me."

Her wide, monstrous smile would chill the bones of lesser men, yet a former Black Scripture stood not in the ranks of lessers, he met her laughter with clear eyes. "It's funny." He replied.

"What is?" She asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Not that long ago I'd have said you are a monster, and I'd have been right. However, as I sit here now, knowing the things I know, what humans are doing and what we are about to do... I can't help but think that there are two in this room."

"It's a room full of monsters." Nua said as she looked down at her clean hands as if Meidhall's blood was still fresh on them. "Don't forget, I 'did' kill Meidhall. She'd never done anything to me, she was helpless where she lay, but I killed her regardless because I wanted to. If the only way to be free is to be a monster... I... I don't think I can..." her lip quivered too much and she couldn't continue.

Raymond then stood and went to where she seated herself and touched her hands, "That isn't the case. But wait... if Meidhall is dead... I mean from what you said, I thought you didn't do it? Who went to see Aalon then?" His heart pounded in his chest as he tried to come to terms with the seeming disconnect.

"Oh, that?" Solution waved her hand with gleeful dismissal, "One of the doppels, it took her body and will be filling in for her for the rest of the war. They're excellent mimics, her own father would never know the difference. The body has been preserved, but the deed is done, she _is _dead and it was your little Nua who did it. I was actually impressed with the anger in her. Why else would I bother to help her this much?" She smiled sadistically and lashed out at Nua, it was obvious to Raymond that she was 'pulling' the blow. However the telling thing was that the little elf swept her arm in a deflective motion... crude, poor form, but not nothing, and sent the strike awry.

She grimaced at the burning sensation, but that was all.

"She learns, but you know..." She turned away from Raymond to look at Nua, "You're probably never going to be a proper monster. You can learn the forms, you can learn to avoid or to take blows, but you can't kill without anger, you don't have the instinct. Probably best if we focus on escape for you."

As she explained this to Nua, Raymond privately felt his sense of mourning rise as he thought of Thousand Mile Astrologer. '_Another death on an already heavy conscience.' _

"Lady Solution," Raymond said, interrupting the moment between teacher and student, "I need to ask you for something."

Solution raised an eyebrow unnaturally high, as if she enjoyed teasing him with her monstrous nature. "Yes?" She asked with a sweet voice that somehow still felt predatory.

"I would appreciate it if you could reach out to... His Majesty. I want an audience with- with General Baraja." He said, shifting in his seat like a child that has done something wrong and been caught.

"What for?" Solution asked ominously, narrowing her eyes.

"I want to beg her for something." Raymond replied sadly.

Her face lit up, "I'll contact Lord Ainz immediately." Solution replied.

An hour later Raymond had his answer. "She agrees to meet with you. You may bring one attendant." Solution answered with a twisted smile that threatened to turn into a laugh.

"Where? Here?" He asked, as he tried to keep his tone positive. '_At least she will listen. That in and of itself is more than I had any right to hope for.'_ He thought as Solution shook her head.

"No, you'll step through the gate in a few minutes, she's borrowing something from Demiurge, don't ask me what, she didn't say and I don't care." Solution replied indifferently.

Raymond went mute, but looked over to Nua with questioning eyes, she gave a subtle nod at the unspoken question.

When the gate opened, the pair of them stood and went through it without hesitation.

He found himself standing in a gentle rain under a tree swaying in the breeze, a small gravestone near at hand, and a small black blanket was laid out with a silver pot, some bread, and a few simple wooden bowls. He was alone. He glanced at Nua. "Do you recognize this place?" He asked as he tried to get his bearings.

"No, not at all." She replied, equally lost, she looked to the four cardinal directions, and then froze at the last, she touched Raymond's shoulder, and he turned back around again. A gate had opened a few feet away. He was not surprised by who stepped out of it.

"General Neia Baraja." Raymond said formally and bowed politely.

She was just as he remembered her, short. But lean and strong looking, a stern and ramrod straight posture, green armor, her bow, and a single sword. She wore a black cloak that whipped lightly at the base as it caught the breeze, and no helmet over her short straw blonde hair. He was grateful she wore her customary visor, what lay behind them had not been a pleasant memory.

At her side was a taller woman of auburn hair missing one eye, the remainder was a pretty green that sparkled as the light struck it. She bore no bow, only a sword and a dagger, along with exquisite runecrafted gear from boots to gloves. "And you would be her wife... Skana, correct?" He asked, holding his bow.

The pair stood silent, looking him over until the gate vanished, then their eyes fell to Nua. Without warning Neia ripped off her visor and went for her bow, "You _DARE_ to bring an elf slave to meet with me?!" She shouted with fury and as her eyes locked on him he saw that she was definitely 'not' the same. He fell into a nightmare as the terrible eyes deepened to pitch black and fear crashed down on him like a mountain.

He felt in that instant as if he was going to die, only for the unaffected Nua to suddenly leap into his path. "No!" She cried out, holding up a hand desperately and causing Neia and Skana to freeze in surprise.

"I am not his slave! He's freed me! Protected me! I swear it!" Nua shouted, the rain around them fell a little harder, and the aura of nightmare vanished as if it never were. Their hands gradually went away from their weapons, and Raymond felt himself able to breathe again.

He clutched his hand over his chest where his heart was pounding, his breathing was labored, but at least he was doing it again. "What the hell was that?" He gasped out.

"The gift of my god's wrath... though... I seem to have used it rashly." Neia said apologetically, then bowed to him in turn. "If she speaks the truth at least, which we'll know soon enough. I have... heard, that you are helping. You will forgive me though, if I find it hard to believe. Please, sit." She said, and gestured to the blanket between them.

"I hope you don't mind a little rain, I thought to prevail upon father for a change of weather, but changed my mind. Let the sky weep, there are few places it is more warranted than this one, at least in my eyes." Neia said in a sonorous voice of conviction that thrummed through Raymond's blood.

She and her wife claimed spots on the blanket, each dipping their bowl into the pot and coming away with some hot stew, before they sat cross legged, and waited for Raymond to do the same.

She had not put her visor back on, those narrow eyes held his and looked at him with bitterness and bloodlust. He reached for a bowl and was about to serve himself when Nua grabbed his wrist and shook her head, he let her take both bowls and draw some for each of them. She then took bread and broke it in half at the same moment as Neia did that for Skana.

For some reason, as soon as Neia saw this, Raymond felt her relax.

He wanted to ask what was going on, but Skana seemed to intuit his thoughts and spoke first. "It has become something of a custom for us recently to share a meal before any business is conducted. People are more relaxed after eating and therefore more reasonable. Also, seeing how people behave 'before' a meal, tells us much about them. You have an attendant, but acted to serve yourself and 'she' insisted on performing the duty for you both. Too, she took as much for herself as she gave to you. This tells us that you treat her well and she does not subsist on very little. In short, we believe she is not under duress to you now."

It was such casual competence that struck Raymond as the most shocking of it all, so much learned from such a minor custom. "We can speak of other things while we eat though, can't we?" He asked the apostate in front of him.

"Say whatever you like." Neia said as she dipped her bread into her stew.

"Where are we?" Raymond asked.

"West of Prart. This is an important place for me. Because she's here." Neia said evenly.

"Your wife?" Raymond asked, glancing at Skana.

"No. Illyana. That is her grave over there." Skana pointed behind where they sat.

"Forgive me, but I don't know who that is. Before, I got a lot of reports, still do, but I never saw that name." Raymond said as his mind raced, trying to recall if he'd seen it anywhere.

Neia gave a bitter laugh, "You wouldn't have, so don't apologize for that. She was my greatest arrogance and greatest failure. She was a slave in Wenmark, working in a high class brothel. I tried to get her out, she did get out, but through death. It is, incidentally, why that city died."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Raymond said in a priestly voice of condolence, "I didn't mean to bring up a memory like that."

"Again, don't apologize, I chose this place, if I wanted no questions about it, I'd have selected some place else." For a few moments only the sound of rain on leaves filled the air. "I chose this place to bury her because it was tranquil and far from the place of her bondage. The tree growing here is nourished by her body, making her alive again in some small way."

Raymond and Nua sat in rapt attention, the Cardinal for the shock of something like that coming from the mouth of someone whose voice was nightmare incarnate...

But for Nua, to hear a human speak so was like seeing a miracle. All she could do was watch as the woman spoke.

Skana reached out and took Neia's hand and squeezed it, drawing a halt to what she was saying. Fingers intertwined and they focused on the meal itself for a little longer.

"So, why this place to meet with me? Why not your camp? Or in the home of the Sorcerer King, or my office?" Raymond asked uncomfortably.

Neia shrugged, "I like this place, I like visiting her sometimes, and it serves as a reminder of what I have to do."

"What is that?" He asked with a slowly rising anxiety.

Neia stood up as her bowl was finally emptied and went to the gravestone. She touched the top and looked down at it, then back over to where the trio sat.

"Isn't it obvious?" She asked. "First I must see my god is given his proper place in this world, it is intolerable to me that there stands anyone opposed to his obvious glory."

As she rolled her eyes at the foolishness of the opposition, Raymond hesitantly asked, "And... the second?"

Neia's vicious gaze in that instant would haunt him forever, "Why Cardinal, I have to kill you all. The bricks of your cities must be turned to dust in the wind, your armies must be corpses that make fields fertile, your nation's dreams of bringing nightmare must be awakened from and set aside as the ephemeral hopes of a forgotten lineage. Your gods should be cast down and turned into fleeting memories until even those are lost to time."

"Didn't you get my note with Justicar's head? We will not forget. Your government backed Remedios, she burned our people alive. Your government's ties to Wenmark made that city of horror possible. The army you sent to march 'with' Remedios is party to her atrocities as far as I am concerned." Her voice was as calm as the gentle rain, but as she said this to him, the water that fell from the sky and ran down their skin seemed all too red in his eyes.

"So, what did you want to meet over? I see your meal is finished, and I can promise your safety at least, now that I'm sure of what side you're... well... 'sort of' on." She added.

His blood ran cold at her easy description of her goals, such that he couldn't speak until she had returned back to her position at her wife's side and reseated herself cross legged in front of them.

"How much do you know?" He asked her, hopefully.

"Little, until I've finished with the Southern Holy Kingdom, such that they will never take pride in their independence, I have no need to know about operations farther east. I was informed of your, what shall I call it..." She paused and touched her cheek with one finger, "your moral awakening. But it seems most of your country isn't listening."

It was a scathing criticism, and one for which he had no answer. Even if one came to mind, as he looked at her evil eyes, he doubted he could have said it.

"Neia... please." Skana gently reminded her.

"Alright, fine, sorry, explain what you're in need of, you didn't ask to meet with me for a social call." Neia prompted him, folding her hands together in her lap.

"It's about those soldiers of ours still there near Yanana. There are about twenty thousand survivors left after Prart and..." He began.

"Not that much anymore." Neia replied, "We've been busy. That was a most... unfortunate city."

"There are good ones." Nua said in a small voice.

"Good ones?" Skana inquired, almost unsure of what she'd heard the little elf say.

"Yes, there was a time when... when I wanted all the Slane Theocracy dead, I thought humans were monsters and demons, I didn't really believe you existed for a long time, and I wanted all humans exterminated. But I was wrong!" As she said that last sentence, her voice gained power and passion and she dared to lock defiant eyes on the pope.

"I was wrong! I finally took a human life, finally, a hundred and fifty years a slave, and I killed one of them. But it didn't make anything better, and there are good ones, ones who have been helping my people, if you kill the whole country, you'll kill those too! Even killing that one will haunt me forever, how can you so easily talk about killing hundreds of thousands whether they deserve it or not?!" Nua's voice pled for an answer and was filled with disbelief, not only in the aura she felt coming off of the pair, but disbelief in herself that she should ever speak in favor of sparing human lives.

That was when Raymond saw Neia do something he hadn't imagined before. She smiled. It wasn't predatory or cruel, though her eyes seemed naturally hostile, the rest of her seemed like that of a very normal human being. "She's a gentle one, isn't she." Neia said. It was not a question.

"She is." Raymond replied shortly, then he got up to his knees and prostrated himself in front of the pair.

"Please. It is true that I am on... what amounts to 'your side', I know what my nation has done and continues to do, I am doing all I can to erase this foul stain from the soul of our people but... those thousands, be they ten or twenty in number... they have families at home. Children, wives, husbands, fathers, mothers... I can't sit by while so many are left to mourn their dead from afar. Please... find some way to spare them, let them retreat, let them come back home. Grant them parole, or let me use my influence to station them away from the fighting." Raymond's voice was desperate and rushed as he begged for their lives, but he could not see what, if any impact it was having on the Black Paladin.

"No." Neia said shortly, folding her arms resolutely in front of her.

"No?" He asked, hushed.

"No." She replied.

"My love..." Skana began, but Neia shook her head even more firmly.

"No." She repeated again.

"Skana, don't, I know what you're going to say. But I have learned too well what mercy brings. When I listened to you at the walls of Prart and did not put arrows into the backs of those retreating, they returned again, forcing us to fight again. When you gave parole to those in the east of the Holy Kingdom, we found two of them bearing arms in Yanana. I will not allow this force to flee. Those who surrender will have their surrenders accepted and they will be transported away for trial. But other than that..." She looked away from Skana and again to the prostrated Raymond.

"Other than that, my answer is no. These soldiers participated in the attempted overthrow of what was then my kingdom and my queen, your country sought to make us a mere puppet and your soldiers marched at night to the light of living torches made from prisoners taken from our side. While 'you' might intend to keep your word, there is no guarantee of your success and I will not fight this army on yet another battlefield." Neia replied harshly.

Then her voice became tempered to the point of gentleness, "I am... truly sorry, but this is a consequence of their choices, and of yours. Maybe you'll get lucky and they'll surrender. But I doubt it, and if they don't, well, there will be no truce, there will be no withdrawal, and I will show no mercy." Neia answered calmly as Skana sat, troubled at her side.

Nua bit her lip, lost in her own thoughts.

"This will haunt you for the rest of your life..." Raymond whispered.

Neia looked at him from where she sat, then lowered her gaze to a little puddle that had started to form nearby, drops created ripples that bounded back and forth against bending strands of grass, and she wiped her face of the water that struck her. "It may be that you are right, but I will do it anyway. Then I will go east, and I will begin to strike your cities, your towns, your villages. Every hint of atrocity will be met with..."

"Atrocity?" Nua interjected, drawing Neia up short.

"Justice." Neia said with steel voice. "Blood debts will be repaid in blood. Where I find breakers, I will break them, what hands I find holding whips, will be removed, I am the scourge of my god and I am coming." Neia stood up, then as if to belie the brutality of her words, she reached down to Skana, took her hand, and helped her rise.

"Go back to your people, Cardinal Raymond Zarg Lauransan. Tell them that fire will illuminate their dark cities, and that any man or woman who does not surrender to my armies the day I reach their walls will suffer the fate of Wenmark. I will not make offers twice. Maybe if they're really lucky, one of the other generals will be at their gates. Enri Emmot-Bareare has a merciful streak a mile wide. Compared to me, so does Zaryusu Shasha. But for those men and women in the Southern Holy Kingdom bearing your banner, you can start mourning them now, they are already dead."

Her tone of voice was almost pitying, and the thrum of her speech in his blood filled him with dread, it left no doubt as to her resolve. "Is there nothing I can offer to you, to induce you to let them withdraw?"

"Nothing less than an order from His Majesty. Suchala could surrender, but we both know he won't do that, your nation chose him because he never lost, and never surrendered... and never showed any mercy." Neia's matter-of-fact tone chilled his blood.

She took out a message scroll and used it, a moment later the gate opened behind her.

"I'm sorry, Cardinal Raymond, I understand what you were trying to do, but it is far, far too late for that now." Neia said, "My answer remains... No, and when I come to your capital, once I am finished, count yourself lucky if blood runs in the streets."

"Lucky... how is that lucky?" Raymond asked in disbelief.

"Because it means there are still streets left." Neia said ominously. Then after she and Skana bowed politely, they walked through the gate and disappeared.

**AN: Last chapter before the epilogue and a helluva chapter at that. I know some of you will be like 'WTF Neia' while some of you will be all, "Yeah, this has been building for awhile'. This may be my last 'big' side story. There is one more I 'may' do detailing Zesshi's rescue of the hostages of the Elf King. However I want to do the commissioned piece and work on the main God Rising story for awhile yet. Kudos to those who caught the historical references in this one. If you've enjoyed this story, leave a review, or support my patr3 on at slash godrising (to turn these stories into free audiobooks) or at slash tellingstories (to let me write full time)**

**Also, neat thing happened, somebody wrote a God Rising story featuring Ainz and the rubiks cube, entitled 'Rube' it's a solid read. Plus 'Fanception' fanfics of fanfics. **

**Last but not least... whether you're an author, beta reader, or if you just happen to enjoy my work or that of someone else, join my discord (invite code is on the author page). It has a growing author/reader community that frankly FFN just does not provide.**


	22. Epilogue

**Blood in the Streets**

**Written by: AtheistBasementDragon**

**Edited by: The Usual Gang of Drunken Perverted Idiots**

**Chapter 22: Epilogue**

When news of the assassination attempt hit the city, it was news tainted with half truths, useful truths, convenient lies, and not a little bit of unintended guesswork, not to mention erroneous conclusions based on the fundamental lack of information held even by the Agante themselves.

The evident suicides of both Ginedine and Berenice were covered up, stating that they died in the attack alongside Maximillian, while Necran Adama was blamed for the conspiracy. He was said to have taken 'the easy way out' rather than face justice for his crimes. Criers at every street corner slammed the conspirators as heretics, and a number of priests 'disappeared', charged with 'disturbing the safety of the public'.

Posted fliers everywhere praised the efforts of the valiant soldiers of the Theocracy and of Dominic in particular. But with this came another pair of consequences.

As the body count rose and more people lost family to the front lines, a scapegoat emerged. The elf population became the target of blame for the established government, and criers regularly promoted the slave population as a dangerous threat as humans shrank in number within the cities as they had to move into the ranks of the army.

The work camps were placed under Raymond's 'watch' and became the chief suppliers for food and material to arm the soldiers raised in Kami Miyako and elsewhere. The military supplies being sent gave convenient and precise counts for the total soldiers expected to occupy a given area, and Raymond ensured that this information fell into the hands of Pandora's Actor and Doppel One as they perpetuated the lie that Tira and Thousand Mile Astrologer were still alive.

Their connection to Enlaith served as the basis for a small information network among the slaves of the city, while Thousand Mile Astrologer regularly reported 'interference' with her scrying abilities, and often sent military units on expensive goose chases after other units that did not exist, keeping the Slane Theocracy chasing its tail.

Solution's 'hunts' became her favorite time of day, expanding from the usual 'filth' to occasionally talented personnel who might have risen through the ranks to improve the performance of the Theocracy's administration. Raymond's conscience troubled him in such things, but whenever it got too much, he reminded himself that he wanted his nation to fall before the Black Pope sought her revenge in earnest.

Through all of this, Raymond had barely an hour to himself, but he managed one, single, vital task. As the members of the Black Scripture that had pulled out of the Southern Holy Kingdom made their way east using their superhuman abilities and a fair bit of flight magic from mages paid along the way, a meeting was arranged.

The meeting had been brief. Raymond had given each of them a letter with strict instructions not to open it until one hour before they expected to face off against Zesshi. Confused but compliant, they left the city that day and traveled east.

Around the Slane Theocracy however, problems began to emerge, the Slane Theocracy had always been heavily reliant upon trade, not only externally with its human neighbors, but internally between cities, and military operations were being sustained by bleeding local resources. Centralized distribution solved the problem temporarily, sending all goods to the capital and then allocating them accordingly, however it often created shortages. People began to grow hungry, and the mounting death toll saw a slow rise in antiwar sentiment begin.

This too, was solved... in two ways... the first was redoubling the anti-elven messages, blaming them for both real and imagined distribution problems... and targeting those who still complained, with long knives. Those who objected to food ration sizes or percentages allocated to the capital, developed a habit of disappearing and never turning up again.

As it was in Kami Miyako, so it was in Wheaton, Feron, and countless other locations. Aalon continued about his business dealings, and tension rose among the mountain elves as they waited for the call to come up.

Nua settled into a routine of service to Raymond's house, continuing her de facto control over his schedule and administration, but when Solution was present, she sought to learn how to better defend herself. Though the burns were plentiful, so too was her improvement.

Yvon recovered quickly enough and returned to govern, and on their first joint session between the three remaining cardinals, Yvon asked Dominic, "How... how did you survive?"

"Simple, obviously I had the guard handy with a top quality healing potion of course, but I also had the podium moved just a bit to absorb more of the damage, and I had a barrier slate erected in front where the podium is normally open. It was only a minor enchantment, but it was enough to lower the amount of the impact I took. I should have gotten nothing more than minor burns, but..." Dominic clucked his tongue in annoyance, "the spell used was more powerful than I expected it to be.

"Still, taking a blast like that, dangerous." Raymond said with faux concern.

"Worth it to see their plans come to nothing. I was in a scripture once, calculated risks are part of the job." Dominic reminded him with a cocky smile.

He enjoyed a proud moment of silence, then told the other two surviving cardinals, "Let's get to work, this war won't win itself without us. We've got to keep the spirits up and the motivation strong. So with that in mind, I'd like to propose we start drawing up plans for public executions."

"For who?" Raymond asked with an uncomfortable feeling roiling in his guts.

"Ration frauds, and anyone who dodges a levy call, and of course if there are thieves, we can just blame a food shortage on a few of them and cut rations for a few days to send more to the fighting units, and frankly it wouldn't hurt to randomly throw a slave up there and blame them for a murder or an assault on a human or stealing food or trying to raise rebellion themselves... that sort of thing." Dominic explained in a coldly rational voice.

Raymond shuddered as he imagined what his city was about to look like. "Do we really want that kind of mess around the city, or the country at large?" He asked as calmly as he could.

"As it serves as a reminder of order... Yes, we do." Dominic replied, "It doesn't matter, I know it is unpleasant, but there will be plenty of slaves left over when the time comes to clean up their Blood in the Streets."


End file.
